Posts

Drs. Christopher Malaya and Joshua Haworth
Dr. Christopher Malaya and Dr. Joshua Haworth

Dr. Malaya is a research associate at Parker University in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Parker in 2018 with a Doctorate in Chiropractic and is currently pursuing a PhD in Motor Control from the University of Houston. His current research interests are in sensorimotor integration, postural control and adaptation, as well as the neural mechanisms of manual manipulation. His overall goal is to help expand the foundational mechanisms and practical applications of manual joint manipulation as it relates to movement and neural rehabilitation.

Dr. Haworth’s research focuses on the mechanisms responsible for the integration of sensorimotor information in the production of human behavior. He uses eye-tracking combined with motion capture and posturographic measures to identify motor strategies used during daily tasks like upright standing, walking, and interpersonal communication. Extensions of this work include the identification of early indicators of clinical disorders and the production of novel therapeutic modalities. He has many active collaborations with colleagues in fields including chiropractic science and pediatric rehabilitation technology. He is focused to better understand the development of motor and social-cognitive skills in children with, and without, autism. 

Please comment below if you have any questions for us during the interview. I might choose some of them for our conversation.

Dr. Kevin Haussler

Dr. Haussler graduated from The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1988 and completed a small animal internship in Sacramento, CA.  To further his training in the conservative management of spinal-related disorders, he pursued human training at Palmer College of Chiropractic-West and completed a veterinary chiropractic certification program in 1993.  He attended the University of California-Davis to attain a PhD focusing on spinal pathology and pelvic biomechanics in Thoroughbred racehorses.   Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the Orthopaedic Research Center at Colorado State University and is involved in teaching, clinical duties, and research into the objective assessment of musculoskeletal pain, spinal dysfunction and the application of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Please comment below if you have any questions for us during the interview. I might choose some of them for our conversation.

Episode

Dr. Lindsay Gorrell and I discuss her research regarding spinal manipulation, the vertebral artery and reporting of adverse events. Lindsay Gorrell completed her clinical training in Chiropractic and a Master of Research (The effect of manual and instrument applied cervical spine manipulation on mechanical neck pain) at Macquarie University, Australia. She then completed a PhD (Musculoskeletal Biomechanical and Electromyographical Responses Associated with Spinal Manipulation) under the supervision of Drs Walter Herzog and Jay Triano at The University of Calgary, Canada. She is now working as an International Research Fellow at the Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Lindsay is also studying a Master of Science in Medical Education at The University of Oxford, England.

Lindsay’s research interests are centered on investigating: i) the delivery of spinal manipulation; ii) the physiological responses and clinical outcomes occurring in response to spinal manipulation; and iii) the safety of the manual therapy. This requires different experimental approaches depending on the research question of interest. Most recently, she has published on the relationship between the amount of strain experienced by the vertebral artery, the 3D movements of the head and neck and the forces applied by clinicians during cervical spine manipulation and physiological responses to cervical and upper thoracic spinal manipulation. Lindsay has maintained part-time clinical practice since graduation.  

View Dr. Gorrell’s researchgate page here.

Below are the research studies that we discuss in this episode.

1.The reporting of adverse events following spinal manipulation in randomized clinical trials-a systematic review.Gorrell LM, Engel RM, Brown B, Lystad RP.Spine J. 2016 Sep;16(9):1143-51. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2016.05.018. Epub 2016 May 27.PMID: 27241208 Review.
2.Differences in force-time parameters and electromyographic characteristics of two high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulations following one another in quick succession.Gorrell LM, Conway PJ, Herzog W.Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 Dec 8;28(1):67. doi: 10.1186/s12998-020-00355-0.PMID: 33287851 Free PMC article.
3.Kinematics of the head and associated vertebral artery length changes during high-velocity, low-amplitude cervical spine manipulation.Gorrell LM, Kuntze G, Ronsky JL, Carter R, Symons B, Triano JJ, Herzog W.Chiropr Man Therap. 2022 Jun 1;30(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s12998-022-00438-0.PMID: 35650649 Free PMC article.
4.Vertebral arteries do not experience tensile force during manual cervical spine manipulation applied to human cadavers.Gorrell LM, Sawatsky A, Edwards WB, Herzog W.J Man Manip Ther. 2022 Nov 15:1-9. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2022.2148048. Online ahead of print.PMID: 36382347

In this episode, Dr. Meier discusses how people move differently in the presence of (or in anticipation of) pain. Changes in motor control may play an important role in musculoskeletal pain. His lab uses a cross-disciplinary approach that combines neuroscience and movement biomechanics to provide new insights into the role of potential interactions between movement behavior, psychological factors and supraspinal mechanisms in the development and maintenance of persistent low back pain. We’ll touch also on fear avoidance and pain related movement avoidance.  Dr. Michael L. Meier is a senior pain researcher and group leader at the Department of Chiropractic Medicine at the University of Zurich. He received his master’s degree in neuropsychology and his doctorate in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Zurich, focusing on the processing of pain and nociception in the brain. In 2019, he received a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) to study the role of movement behavior and cortical processes in the development and persistence of low back pain. A hallmark of his work is linking research from different disciplines such as biomechanics, neuroscience, and psychology, shedding light on novel interacting pathomechanisms underlying persistent low back pain whose pathoanatomical cause is often unclear.

Please see Dr. Michael Meier’s research profile at researchgate.net.  Further information and links to his research can be found at the Balgrist University Hospital website.

Below are the articles Dr. Michael Meier and I discuss in this episode:

1.
Fear-avoidance beliefs are associated with reduced lumbar spine flexion during object lifting in pain-free adults.
Knechtle D, Schmid S, Suter M, Riner F, Moschini G, Senteler M, Schweinhardt P, Meier ML.
Pain. 2021 Jun 1;162(6):1621-1631. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002170.
PMID: 33323888 Free PMC article.
2.
Neural responses of posterior to anterior movement on lumbar vertebrae: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
Meier ML, Hotz-Boendermaker S, Boendermaker B, Luechinger R, Humphreys BK.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2014 Jan;37(1):32-41. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.09.004. Epub 2013 Nov 12.
PMID: 24229849
3. Identifying Motor Control Strategies and Their Role in Low Back Pain: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach Bridging Neurosciences With Movement Biomechanics.
Schmid Stefan, Bangerter Christian, Schweinhardt Petra, Meier Michael L.
Frontiers in Pain Research. 2021 Aug;(2):42. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2021.715219
Dr. Samuel Howarth

Dr. Samuel Howarth is an Associate Professor, Director of Human Performance Research and the McMorland Family Research Chair in Mechanobiology at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. He also holds adjunct positions at Ontario Tech University, University of Toronto, University of Guelph and Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dr. Howarth obtained his PhD in kinesiology from the University of Waterloo in 2011, focusing on biomechanics and more specifically related to the spine. His current research is directed toward biomechanical analysis of human movement focusing on functional tasks used in daily life and clinical practice. A fundamental component of this work, and scientific inquiry in general, is measurement and data handling. Once a topic primarily relevant to researchers, the proliferation of low-cost sensors capable of providing clinicians with a seemingly unimaginable amount data extends the conversation on the acquisition and interpretation of measurements to the clinical environment.

Please see Dr. Samuel Howarth’s research profile at researchgate.net and check out his google scholar page also.  Further information and links to his research can be found at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College website.

Below are the articles Dr. Samuel Howarth and I discuss in this episode:

1.
Investigator analytic repeatability of two new intervertebral motion biomarkers for chronic, nonspecific low back pain in a cohort of healthy controls.
To D, Breen A, Breen A, Mior S, Howarth SJ.
Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 Nov 24;28(1):62. doi: 10.1186/s12998-020-00350-5.
PMID: 33228737 Free PMC article.
2.
Does manual therapy affect functional and biomechanical outcomes of a sit-to-stand task in a population with low back pain? A preliminary analysis.
Carpino G, Tran S, Currie S, Enebo B, Davidson BS, Howarth SJ.
Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 Jan 24;28(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12998-019-0290-7. eCollection 2020.
PMID: 31998472 Free PMC article.
3.
Grant C, Beach TAC, Hogg-Johnson, Chivers M, Howarth SJ. 
Meas Phys Educ Exerc Sci. 2019 Dec 24;24(1):81-92. doi: 10.1080/1091367X.2019.1707680
Dr. Michael Freeman

In this discussion, Dr. Michael Freeman talks about his research involving motor vehicle collisions, whiplash and forensic applications. Dr. Michael Freeman is a consultant in forensic medicine, and as such is a member of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom. He has provided expert testimony more than 1,200 times in a wide variety of civil and criminal cases, including injury and death litigation, automotive and other product liability, toxic tort litigation, life expectancy, and medical negligence cases, as well as in homicide, assault, and other criminal matters.

Dr. Freeman has published around 220 scientific papers, books, and book chapters, primarily focusing on issues relating to forensic applications of epidemiology and general and specific causation. Research and publication topics include traffic crash-related injury and death, injury biomechanics and injury causation, genocide, cancer epidemiology, chronic pain mechanisms, and adult autologous stem cell therapy, among others. Dr. Freeman is the co-editor and co-author of the authoritative text on forensic applications of epidemiology; Forensic Epidemiology: Principles and Practice, published in 2016.

His published 3-step approach has been adopted by U.S. courts as a generally accepted injury causation methodology, as described in the 2016 10th circuit US DCA Etherton decision.

Dr. Freeman is a tenured associate professor of forensic medicine and epidemiology at Maastricht University Medical Center and a joint clinical professor of psychiatry and public health and preventative medicine at Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Dr. Freeman is a past Fulbright Fellow with the U.S. Department of State in the area of forensic medicine, and holds a diploma of legal medicine with the FFLM in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Freeman holds a doctor of medicine degree from Umeå University in Sweden, a Ph.D. and master’s in public health in epidemiology from Oregon State University, a master’s of forensic medical sciences with the Academy for Forensic Medical Sciences in the UK, a doctor of chiropractic from what is now the University of Western States, and a bachelor’s of science from University of Oregon. He has completed a 2-year fellowship in forensic pathology through Umeå University and the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner.

Please see Dr. Michael Freeman’s research profile at researchgate profile.

Below are the articles Dr. Michael Freeman discusses in this episode:

1.Estimating the number of traffic crash-related cervical spine injuries in the United States; An analysis and comparison of national crash and hospital data.Freeman MD, Leith WM.Accid Anal Prev. 2020 Jul;142:105571. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2020.105571. Epub 2020 May 12.PMID: 32413544
2.Diagnostic Accuracy of Videofluoroscopy for Symptomatic Cervical Spine Injury Following Whiplash Trauma.Freeman MD, Katz EA, Rosa SL, Gatterman BG, Strömmer EMF, Leith WM.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Mar 5;17(5):1693. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17051693.PMID: 32150926 Free PMC article.
3.Is Acceleration a Valid Proxy for Injury Risk in Minimal Damage Traffic Crashes? A Comparative Review of Volunteer, ADL and Real-World Studies. Nolet PS, Nordhoff L, Kristman VL, Croft AC, Zeegers MP, Freeman MD.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 12;18(6):2901. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18062901. PMCID: PMC8001694.
4.A systematic approach to clinical determinations of causation in symptomatic spinal disk injury following motor vehicle crash trauma. Freeman MD, Centeno CJ, Kohles SS. PM R. 2009 Oct;1(10):951-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2009.07.009. PMID: 19854423.
Drs. Christopher Malaya and Joshua Haworth

Drs. Chris Malaya and Josh Haworth discuss motor control, posture and chiropractic research in this episode. Dr. Chris Malaya is a research associate at Parker University in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Parker in 2018 with a Doctorate in Chiropractic and is currently pursuing a PhD in Motor Control from the University of Houston. His current research interests are in sensorimotor integration, postural control and adaptation, as well as the neural mechanisms of manual manipulation. His overall goal is to help expand the foundational mechanisms and practical applications of manual joint manipulation as it relates to movement and neural rehabilitation.

Dr. Josh Haworth’s research focuses on the mechanisms responsible for the integration of sensorimotor information in the production of human behavior. He uses eye-tracking combined with motion capture and posturographic measures to identify motor strategies used during daily tasks like upright standing, walking, and interpersonal communication. Extensions of this work include the identification of early indicators of clinical disorders and the production of novel therapeutic modalities. He has many active collaborations with colleagues in fields including chiropractic science and pediatric rehabilitation technology. He is focused to better understand the development of motor and social-cognitive skills in children with, and without, autism. 

View Dr. Christopher Malaya’s research at Parker University and researchgate.net and Dr. Josh Haworth’s research at Oakland University and researchgate.net.

Below are the studies that Drs. Chris Malaya and Josh Haworth discuss in this interview.

1.Immediate impact of extremity manipulation on dual task performance: a randomized, crossover clinical trial.Malaya CA, Haworth J, Pohlman KA, Smith DL.Chiropr Man Therap. 2021 Feb 5;29(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s12998-021-00366-5.PMID: 33541378 Free PMC article.
2.Impact of Extremity Manipulation on Postural Sway Characteristics: A Preliminary, Randomized Crossover Study.Malaya CA, Haworth J, Pohlman KA, Powell C, Smith DL.J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2020 Jun;43(5):457-468. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2019.02.014. Epub 2020 Aug 14.PMID: 32800642

Martha Funabashi, is a PhD currently working as a clinical research scientist at CMCC. She is also a CARL fellow and the co-lead study coordinator of SafetyNET – an international and multidisciplinary research team to support patient safety among spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) providers. Martha has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy and a Master’s Degree in Neuroscience from the University of Sao Paulo – Brazil. She completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Greg Kawchuk and her post-doctoral fellowship also at the University of Alberta with Dr. Sunita Vohra. Martha’s research interests and passion are on the SMT’s biomechanics, underlying mechanisms, force-time characterization and its safety aspects. Martha has 26 peer-reviewed scientific journal publications, over 40 conference presentations and is on the editorial boards for peer review journals, such as Chiropractic and Manual Therapies. Martha has won research prizes, including the New Investigator Award at the World Federation of Chiropractic Conference 2017 and works in collaboration with emerging and well-known researchers around the world.

Dr. Funabashi’s email is: [email protected]

See Dr. Funabashi’s publications at researchgate.net.

Here is a list of the articles Dr. Funabashi and I discussed on the podcast.

1. SafetyNET Community-based patient safety initiatives: development and application of a Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Survey.
  Funabashi M, Pohlman KA, Mior S, O’Beirne M, Westaway M, De Carvalho D, El-Bayoumi M, Haig B, Wade DJ, Thiel HW, Cassidy JD, Hurwitz E, Kawchuk GN, Vohra S.
  J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2018 Dec;62(3):130-142.
  PMID: 30662067 [PubMed] Free PMC Article
  Similar articles
2. Tissue loading created during spinal manipulation in comparison to loading created by passive spinal movements.
  Funabashi M, Kawchuk GN, Vette AH, Goldsmith P, Prasad N.
  Sci Rep. 2016 Dec 1;6:38107. doi: 10.1038/srep38107.
  PMID: 27905508 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article
  Similar articles
3. Does the application site of spinal manipulative therapy alter spinal tissues loading?
  Funabashi M, Nougarou F, Descarreaux M, Prasad N, Kawchuk GN.
  Spine J. 2018 Jun;18(6):1041-1052. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.01.008. Epub 2018 Jan 31.
  PMID: 29355792 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
  Similar articles

Dr. Alice KongstedJoin Dr. Kongsted and I as we discuss her unique role as an author of the recent groundbreaking Lancet series of articles on Low Back Pain as well as many other topics. Alice Kongsted, DC, PhD graduated from the University of Southern Denmark in 1999 and completed her PhD at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Southern Denmark in 2005. Up till 2009 she had clinical work as a chiropractor alongside her academic work, mainly in an outpatient hospital department. Currently she holds a position as senior researcher at the Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics (NIKKB) and a position as Associate Professor at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at University of Southern Denmark. At NIKKB she has set up a network of chiropractic primary care research clinics that regularly participates in data collection for research purposes, the data being made available to researchers both inside and outside NIKKB. Her research interests concern spinal pain with a focus on primary care. This includes investigating the prognosis of spinal pain and why people have different outcomes.

Lately, she has been much occupied with a large project exploring ways to implement evidence-based care in practice. She has an interest in methodology and has taught PhD courses on prognostic research at University of Southern Denmark and at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. Alice Kongsted is an Associate Editor of BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders and she is a member of the editorial board for Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. She has been involved in The Danish Health Authority’s development of three national clinical guidelines for treatment of lumbar radiculopathy, cervical radiculopathy and of non-specific neck pain. She was part of the Lancet Low Back Pain Series Working Group that published three papers in March 2018 to call for worldwide recognition of the disability associated with back pain and the need for prioritizing this globally growing problem. This Lancet series will be a focus of our conversation today.

Visit Dr. Kongsted’s research profile at researchgate.net.

Here is a list of articles Dr. Kongsted mentions during the interview:

1. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions.
Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D, Chou R, Cohen SP, Gross DP, Ferreira PH, Fritz JM, Koes BW, Peul W, Turner JA, Maher CG; Lancet Low Back Pain Series Working Group.
Lancet. 2018 Mar 20. pii: S0140-6736(18)30489-6. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30489-6. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
PMID: 29573872 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Similar articles
2. Low back pain: a call for action.
Buchbinder R, van Tulder M, Öberg B, Costa LM, Woolf A, Schoene M, Croft P; Lancet Low Back Pain Series Working Group.
Lancet. 2018 Mar 20. pii: S0140-6736(18)30488-4. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30488-4. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 29573871 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Similar articles
3. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention.
Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, Louw Q, Ferreira ML, Genevay S, Hoy D, Karppinen J, Pransky G, Sieper J, Smeets RJ, Underwood M; Lancet Low Back Pain Series Working Group.
Lancet. 2018 Mar 20. pii: S0140-6736(18)30480-X. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30480-X. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
PMID: 29573870 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Similar articles
4. Identifying subgroups of patients using latent class analysis: should we use a single-stage or a two-stage approach? A methodological study using a cohort of patients with low back pain.
Nielsen AM, Kent P, Hestbaek L, Vach W, Kongsted A.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017 Feb 1;18(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s12891-017-1411-x.
PMID: 28143458 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article
Similar articles
5. What have we learned from ten years of trajectory research in low back pain?
Kongsted A, Kent P, Axen I, Downie AS, Dunn KM.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016 May 21;17:220. doi: 10.1186/s12891-016-1071-2.
PMID: 27209166 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article
Similar articles

 

Is sitting killing you? What kind of posture should you have seated or standing? How much time should you sit versus stand at work? How much spine flexion is too much? Can chiropractic manipulation help with seated postures? These are some of the many questions that are addressed in this interview. Dr. Diana De Carvalho is an Assistant Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in the Discipline of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. She holds the Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation Professorship in Spine Biomechanics and is cross-appointed to the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation.

After completing a BSc in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph (2002), she attended the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College graduating with the class of 2006. Concurrent to part-time clinical practice, Dr. De Carvalho completed a Certificate in University Teaching along with her MSc (2008) and PhD (2015) in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo. She has extensive experience with industry-partnered research involving both automotive and ergonomic office seating.

Directly related to decreased productivity, decreased quality of life and high health care costs, low back pain might be the first of many negative health outcomes experienced by sedentary workers. Dr. De Carvalho’s research program focuses on spine mechanics, especially in response to sustained flexion, in order to better define and direct early diagnosis, prevention and intervention strategies for low back pain.
In addition to numerous peer-reviewed conference presentations both at the national and international level, Dr. De Carvalho has published articles in such journals as JMPT, Applied Ergonomics and Human Factors and she is an editorial board member of the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association.

Here is a link to Dr. De Carvalho’s webpage at Memorial University.

You can find Dr. De Carvalho’s publications here.

Below are the articles we discussed in the podcast:

Dr. Martin Descarreaux and I discuss his research regarding learning to perform chiropractic adjustments, neuromuscular responses following spinal manipulation and several other studies.  Dr. Descarreaux graduated from the UQTR’s first cohort of the chiropractic program in 1998, and completed a PhD in kinesiology at the Université Laval 6 years later. He is now a full professor in the Human Kinetics Department (UQTR), and an invited professor and researcher at the Institut Franco-Européen de Chiropraxie, in Paris and Toulouse. His current research projects involve the characterization of the neurophysiological and biomechanical effects of spinal manipulation, the various effects of pain and pain-related psychological components on trunk neuromuscular strategies, as well as spinal manipulation learning, as can attest the numerous articles he has published on these topics. Over the years, he has developed several strategies to better integrate motor learning principles, which have been shared with students, professors and those responsible for clinical training within chiropractic teaching institutions not only in Canada, but also in Europe. His work in this specific area has contributed to the characterization of the adjustment learning sequence, and showed the importance of augmented feedback in the technical training of future chiropractors. He is currently the Director of graduate studies in human kinetics and director of the Groupe de recherche sur les affections neuromusculosquelettiques at UQTR.

Take a look at Dr. Descarreaux’s publications at researchgate.

Here are the links to the articles we discussed in this interview:

1. Effects of practice variability on spinal manipulation learning.
Marchand AA, Mendoza L, Dugas C, Descarreaux M, Pagé I.
J Chiropr Educ. 2017 Jan 25. doi: 10.7899/JCE-16-8. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 28121458 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Similar articles
2. Influence of Lumbar Muscle Fatigue on Trunk Adaptations during Sudden External Perturbations.
Abboud J, Nougarou F, Lardon A, Dugas C, Descarreaux M.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2016 Nov 14;10:576.
PMID: 27895569 [PubMed – in process] Free PMC Article
Similar articles
3. Physiological and Psychological Predictors of Short-Term Disability in Workers with a History of Low Back Pain: A Longitudinal Study.
Dubois JD, Cantin V, Piché M, Descarreaux M.
PLoS One. 2016 Oct 26;11(10):e0165478. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165478.
PMID: 27783666 [PubMed – in process] Free PMC Article
Similar articles
4. Neuromechanical response to spinal manipulation therapy: effects of a constant rate of force application.
Nougarou F, Pagé I, Loranger M, Dugas C, Descarreaux M.
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016 Jun 2;16:161. doi: 10.1186/s12906-016-1153-6.
PMID: 27249939 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article
Similar articles
5. Systematic Augmented Feedback and Dependency in Spinal Manipulation Learning: a Randomized Comparative Study.
Lardon A, Cheron C, Pagé I, Dugas C, Descarreaux M.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 Mar-Apr;39(3):185-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.02.002.
PMID: 27016338 [PubMed – in process]
Similar articles
6. Effects of a prehabilitation program on patients’ recovery following spinal stenosis surgery: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Marchand AA, Suitner M, O’Shaughnessy J, Châtillon CÉ, Cantin V, Descarreaux M.
Trials. 2015 Oct 27;16:483. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-1009-2.
PMID: 26507388 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article
Similar articles

Alan BreenDr. Alan Breen and I discuss spine dynamics and spine control along with quantitative fluoroscopy in chiropractic research and practice. Dr. Alan Breen graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1967, then travelled in North America, Australia and Europe before starting a part time teaching post at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) in Bournemouth UK in 1971, he established a practice in Salisbury in 1974, which continues. In 1986 Dr. Breen became Director of Research at AECC and focussed on musculoskeletal research and epidemiology, encouraging staff to undertake doctoral studies. In 1999 he became director of a new musculoskeletal research institute – the Institute for Musculoskeletal Research and Clinical Implementation, where he continues to work. Dr. Breen is also Professor of Musculoskeletal Research in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Bournemouth University.

Dr. Breen published the first epidemiology paper by a chiropractor in a medical journal in 1977 then built a collaboration that resulted in a trial by the Medical Research Council in the UK. This was published in 1991 and had a positive outcome for chiropractors. His PhD project, which was completed in 1991, involved the invention of Quantitative Fluoroscopy, a technology that measures inter-vertebral motion in living subjects and which has now entered clinical use. He is a former member of the World Federation of Chiropractic’s Research Council.

Here is the link to Dr. Alan Breen’s website at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Research and Clinical Implementation.

To view Dr. Breen’s research publications please visit researchgate.

Here are the links to the articles we discussed in this interview:

1. Relationships between Paraspinal Muscle Activity and Lumbar Inter-Vertebral Range of Motion.
du Rose A, Breen A.
Healthcare (Basel). 2016 Jan 5;4(1). pii: E4. doi: 10.3390/healthcare4010004.
PMID: 27417592 [PubMed] Free PMC Article
Similar articles
2. Proportional lumbar spine inter-vertebral motion patterns: a comparison of patients with chronic, non-specific low back pain and healthy controls.
Mellor FE, Thomas PW, Thompson P, Breen AC.
Eur Spine J. 2014 Oct;23(10):2059-67. doi: 10.1007/s00586-014-3273-3.
PMID: 24676852 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Similar articles
3. Does inter-vertebral range of motion increase after spinal manipulation? A prospective cohort study.
Branney J, Breen AC.
Chiropr Man Therap. 2014 Jul 1;22:24. doi: 10.1186/s12998-014-0024-9.
PMID: 25035795 [PubMed] Free PMC Article
Similar articles
4. Measurement of intervertebral motion using quantitative fluoroscopy: report of an international forum and proposal for use in the assessment of degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine.
Breen AC, Teyhen DS, Mellor FE, Breen AC, Wong KW, Deitz A.
Adv Orthop. 2012;2012:802350. doi: 10.1155/2012/802350.
PMID: 22666606 [PubMed] Free PMC Article
Similar articles