Chiropractic Research

Auckland, New Zealand

Study with Professor Türker

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One of the exciting studies that we are doing is a collaborative study with Professor Kemal Türker, Professor of Physiology at the Koc University School of Medicine in Turkey. The New Zealand College of Chiropractic, The Hamblin Trust and Spinal Research together made it possible for us to host Professor Türker in New Zealand for one month. He is one of the world’s leading neurophysiologists who specialises in spinal cord reflexes and is particularly interested in jaw function. Professor Türker, our NZ colleagues and we spent this month investigating how chiropractic care influences the way the brain controls motor neurons in the spine. While he was with us we were so excited with what we were seeing we completed a second study at the same time which is now in the publication process.

Professor Kamal Turker

This excitement resulted in us pursuing this line of research further. Dr Imran Khan Niazi and myself went to Professor Türker’s lab in Turkey earlier this year to perform a follow-up pilot study that looks at how spinal adjustments influence the cranial nerves, in particular how they influence jaw function. Considering how chiropractic was founded this particular project could be very enlightening for the profession! We’re now ready to run the full study using the protocol we have piloted and are ready to jump into action and get this under way as soon as we secure the funding we need to complete the study.

This collaboration has also resulted in two more projects that we hope to do that will look at the effects of chiropractic care on strength and proprioception for an upper limb (shoulder) muscle and the effects of long term chiropractic care on lower limb muscle function. Again these projects are designed, piloted, and just waiting for the required funding needed to conduct them!

Research Grants Needed

We have submitted this project to Spinal Research for a grant and it has been approved by both their clinical and scientific panels, however they do not yet have the funds to award us this grant. So as soon as we are able to raise enough money in conjunction with Spinal Research for this study then we will jump into action and get this under way immediately.

The growth of the Research Centre

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We have had an amazing couple of years at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. We have established the Centre for Chiropractic Research, which is the Colleges dedicated research arm, and things are on the grow! At the start of 2013 there were only two of us doing research in the Centre, Dr Kelly Holt and Dr Heidi Haavik. However, we had some big plans in place.

Supporters Programme

We were about to launch a supporters programme to generate external research income, we were establishing incredible collaborative research partnerships with other research centres around the world, and we had strategic funding partnerships in place with Spinal Research and the Hamblin Trust in New Zealand to help support the growth and development of the Centre. As of right now we have 16 researchers collecting and analysing data in our labs and we are working on 20 active projects that we think are ground-breaking!

We expect to have more papers published over the next two years than we have published in the last eight years combined. None of this growth would have been possible without the amazing support we have received from the profession!

We need your help

If this also excites you, please join us by assisting with the funding needed to collect and analyse these studies by joining our Supporters Programme!

For details regarding how you can help please email supporters.programme@nzchiro.co.nz. We are literally chomping at the bit to get going with this work and just need to secure more funding to get it done!

Resolution of Vertigo, Migraines and Neck Pain

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Resolution of Vertigo, Migraines and Neck Pain in a 12 Year Old Boy Receiving Chiropractic Care – A Case Study

Objective: This article describes and discusses changes in vertigo, migraine and neck pain symptoms in a 12 year old boy receiving chiropractic care. Clinical Features: A twelve year old boy with a long history of routine, recurrent dizziness, chronic neck pain and migraines presented for chiropractic care. These symptoms resulted in him being absent from school more than half of the time for the previous seven years.

Intervention and Outcome:The patient received high velocity low amplitude thrust chiropractic adjustments for the reduction of vertebral subluxations over a twelve month period. The C2 and C6 spinal segments were regularly adjusted over this timeframe, as well as mid-thoracic vertebrae and the sacrum. The initial frequency of care was three chiropractic visits per week for four weeks. Visit frequency was then gradually reduced over the next 12 months to one visit per month. Besides the chiropractic adjustments the patient was also advised to perform cervical stretches (lateral flexion, rotation and flexion/extension) twice daily. After the first week of chiropractic care the patient reported a cessation of his headaches and neck ache. His vertigo attacks decreased in frequency and became less severe, then ceased altogether. His attendance improved dramatically at school and dropped from 223 half days absent the previous year to 56 half days absent for the 12 months after beginning chiropractic care.

Conclusion: This case report describes a child who reported a cessation in symptoms of vertigo, neck pain and headaches after beginning chiropractic care. There are a growing number of case reports that suggest chiropractic care may be beneficial for patients suffering from vertigo. Further study is required to investigate the role chiropractors may play in caring for people with vertigo.

Altered central integration

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2008 ACC-RAC AWARD WINNING PAPER

Heidi Haavik · Bernadette Murphy . Kelly Holt

Altered central integration of dual somatosensory input after cervical spine manipulation

Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate changes in the intrinsic inhibitory interactions within the somatosensory system subsequent to a session of spinal manipulation of dysfunctional cervical joints.

Method: Dual peripheral nerve stimulation somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) ratio technique was used in 13 subjects with a history of reoccurring neck stiffness and/or neck pain but no acute symptoms at the time of the study. Somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded after median and ulnar nerve stimulation at the wrist (1 millisecond square wave pulse, 2.47 Hz, 1 × motor threshold). The SEP ratios were calculated for the N9, N11, N13, P14-18, N20-P25, and P22-N30 peak complexes from SEP amplitudes obtained from simultaneous median and ulnar (MU) stimulation divided by the arithmetic sum of SEPs obtained from individual stimulation of the median (M) and ulnar (U) nerves.

Results: There was a significant decrease in the MU/M + U ratio for the cortical P22-N30 SEP component after chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine. The P22-N30 cortical ratio change appears to be due to an increased ability to suppress the dual input as there was also a significant decrease in the amplitude of the MU recordings for the same cortical SEP peak (P22-N30) after the manipulations. No changes were observed after a control intervention.

Conclusion: This study suggests that cervical spine manipulation may alter cortical integration of dual somatosensory input. These findings may help to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the effective relief of pain and restoration of functional ability documented after spinal manipulation treatment. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2010;33:178-188)

For more information on our research please contact us.

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  • 6 Harrison Road, Mount Wellington,
  • Auckland 1060
  • PO Box 113-044, Newmarket
  •  Mon to Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm
  •   +64 9 526 6789
  •  +64 9 526 6788
  •  info@chiropracticresearch.ac.nz