Knuckling Cracking Research – Not a Popping Bubble, But Gas Cavity Creation
Three Chiropractors on the Research Team
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Experienced Chiroprctor and Internet lover, Amy Tirpak, DC, started CE Cruncher with the support of the Advertising Agency that she co-owns.
by: DrTirpak posted: April 23, 2015
New research partially funded by the Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation (CCRF) documents with MRI images the source of the audible portion of cracking a knuckle.
Throw away your idea of an existing bubble popping and replace it with a new gas cavity being formed, called tribonucleation. Tribonucleation occurs when opposing surfaces resist separation until a critical point where they separate quickly creating a sustained gas cavity. The journal PLoS ONE in January published Real-Time Visualization of Joint Cavitation which details how the gas cavity forms in the synovial fluid.
Chiropractors love joint noises, so it seems very fitting that three of the researchers hold a Doctorate of Chiropractic. Greg Kawchuk, DC, BSc, MSc, PhD, currently holds the position of Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta and Chair of the Research Council for the World Federation of Chiropractic. He explains in interviews that knuckle cracking does not harm the joints and hope this research fosters the development of a greater understanding of osteoarthritis and other degenerative joint diseases.
Dr. Jerome Fryer spends most days as a Chiropractor in Nanaimo British Columbia when not conducting research. He not only helped in the creation of the joint cavitation study, but also served as the test subject. Dr. Fryer has probably heard his share of pull my finger jokes as he was positioned prone in the MRI with a string attached to his fingers and had to convey when his joints popped for the study. It is his MCPs in the pictures.
Most Chiropractors should recognize the third Chiropractic researcher on the study, also a Chiropractic radiology legend, Lindsay Rowe, DC, MD, DACBR. He is the co-author of Essentials of Skeletal Radiology (Yochum & Rowe). Dr. Rowe currently serves as Associate Professor of Diagnostic Radiology for the University of Newcastle in Newcastle, Australia and Adjunct Professor for the School of Chiropractic at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.
This rest of the academically diverse research team of professors from the University of Albert included: an MD/PhD radiologist, a material science and biomedical engineer. The video created for the experiment has almost gone viral with almost 900,000 views.
Chiropractic Poses Less Risk Than Primary Visit - New Research
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Poster Profile:
Name: DrTirpak
Email: Amy@cecruncher.com
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Location: Tampa, FL
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Sign: Gemini
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Experienced Chiroprctor and Internet lover, Amy Tirpak, DC, started CE Cruncher with the support of the Advertising Agency that she co-owns.
by: DrTirpak posted: February 18, 2015
The February 2015 issue of Spine contains a research study from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice by James M. Whedon, MS DC, Reed Phillips, DC, PhD and colleges comparing the risk of injury in Medicare patients following chiropractic spinal manipulation versus primary care visits.
The study evaluated Medicare data for 2007 tracking patients with a neuromusculoskeletal complaint that visited a chiropractor or primary care physician for the condition. Within seven days of treatment the researchers measured the risk of injury of patients treated by chiropractors with spinal manipulation versus patients assessed by a primary care physician.
Their results demonstrated a lower risk of injury in the population that was treated by chiropractors. The cumulative probability of injury in the chiropractic group was over three times less likely than the primary doctor group. 40 injury incidents per 100,000 subjects for the Doctors of Chiropractic group compared with 153 incidents per 100,000 subjects in the primary medical recipients.
The abstract and full study can be viewed in Spine.
Whedon, James M., Mackenzie, Todd A., Phillips, Reed B., Lurie, Jon D.(2015) Risk of Traumatic Injury Associated With Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation in Medicare Part B Beneficiaries Aged 66 to 99 Years. Spine, 4Risk of Traumatic Injury Associated With Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation in Medicare Part B Beneficiaries Aged 66 to 99 Years. Spine, 40(4):264-270
James Whedon, DC MS holds a Doctor of Chiropractic from Logan College of Chiropractic in 1989 and a M.S in Health Services Research from Dartmouth College in 2012. He currently serves as an instructor in the Dartmouth Institute; health care research analyst, accountable care organization support, and trauma registrar at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Dr. Whedon has published extensively on topics in Medicare and chiropractic, spine trauma and integrative medicine.
Dr. Reed Phillips, DC, PhD Received his Doctor of Chiropractic from the National College of Chiropractic in 1973 and a Diplomate from the American Board of Chiropractic Radiology in 1976. He also obtained an MSc in Community Medicine and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Utah School of Medicine. During his professional career he has served as Director of Research at the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research and President of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic from 1990 – 2008. Dr. Phillips writings include over 60 book chapters and numerous articles in peer-reviewed publications.