MRI is currently the gold standard for identifying radicular pathology, but unfortunately, it requires preauthorization, which isn’t easy to obtain. Physical tests are what most practitioners depend on – despite the marginal reliability of the tests. The information in this article brings history and observation to the forefront of radicular diagnostics. Each factor listed can significantly increase the clinician’s ability to diagnose radiculopathies.
A Call to Action for Commissioning DCs
A hearing before the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee on H.R. 608, the bill which would allow DCs to be commissioned as health care officers in the military, is scheduled for April 30th (see "Congressional Hearing Set for Commissioning DCs in Military in the April 10, 1992 "DC").
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) are urging all DCs who are veterans to write to their veterans' associations in support of H.R. 608. Congressman Lane Evans (D-Illinois), the bill's sponsor in the House, is currently writing to all of the veterans' associations in Washington, D.C. to ask for their support.
The ACA and ICA are also encouraging all DCs in the military, and those in the military who have benefited from chiropractic care, to write statements of support for the bill. If the ACA and ICA receive these statement in time, they can present them at the April 30th subcommittee hearing.