UPFRONT | Roundup RESEARCH Chiropractic helps boost muscle function, prevent fatigue: study New research into the effects of chiropractic care suggests it may have an important role to play in maximizing sporting performance and aid recovery from a range of conditions where muscle function has been compromised. The New Zealand College of Chiropractic’s Centre for Chiropractic Research re-cently published a study in the journal Experiment Brain Research which demonstrates that following a full spine chi-ropractic adjustment session there was an increase in the subjects’ ability to contract one of their leg muscles. The study shows an in-crease in muscle electrical ac-tivity readings of almost 60 per cent and a 16 per cent increase in absolute force measures. There was also a 45 per cent increase in the “drive” from the brain to the muscle (the degree to which the brain can activate that particular mus-cle) and a small, but signifi-cant, shift in the H reflex curve (a neurophysiological measure of spinal cord excitability). “This study is the first to indicate that chiropractic ad-justments of the spine can ac-tually induce significant changes in the net excitability for the low-threshold motor units,” Dr. Heidi Haavik, chi-ropractor and director of re-search at the NZCC said. “The results of the study also indicate that spinal ad-justments can prevent fa-tigue, so we recommend chiropractic care to be a part of medical treatment for pa-tients that have lost tonus of their muscles or are recover-ing from muscle degrading dysfunction such as with stroke or orthopedic opera-tions.” Haavik added the results suggest that the improvements in maximum voluntary con-tractions following the chiro-practic adjustment session are likely attributed to the in-creased descending drive (i.e. from the brain) and/or modu-lation in afferent input. “These results may also be of interest to sports performers and we have recommended a similar study be conducted in a sports population.” This work provides further evidence of the capacity of chiropractic care to address aspects of sensorimotor inte-gration. The New Zealand College of Chiropractic’s Centre for Chiropractic Re-search is at the forefront of this groundbreaking neurophysio-logical research and is achiev-ing these results faster due to the new Spinal Research Partnership Scheme. The study was funded by a recent grant partnership be-tween Spinal Research (for-merly Australian Spinal Re-search Foundation), The New Zealand Hamblin Trust and the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. The study in-volved collaboration between the Centre for Chiropractic Research and world-renowned neurophysiologist, Professor Kemal Türker, from the School of Medicine at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey. PATIENT CARE LifeLabs launches arthritis blood test in Canada LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services has launched JOINTstat, a diagnostic blood test for rheumatoid arthritis. The JOINTstat blood test is the first test of its kind available in Canada that aids in the early detection and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. When caught and treated early, rheumatoid arthritis outcomes can be greatly improved. Through an agreement with Augurex Life Sciences Corp., developer of the JOINTstat test, JOINTstat is now offered exclusively by LifeLabs to patients and physicians across Canada. “LifeLabs is committed to building a healthier Canada through the 10 Canadian Chiropractor April 2015 delivery of innovative testing services to patients and health-care providers” said Jeff Sumner, senior vice-president of business development, clinical affairs and genetics at LifeLabs. “We are delighted to partner with Augurex to offer JOINTstat to Canadians. JOINTstat will help physicians diagnose and treat the many Canadians who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.” The JOINTstat test measures 14-3-3eta, a protein involved in joint damage that leads to debilitation in patients with RA, a disease that affects one out of every 100 Canadians. High levels of 14-3-3eta protein indicate that the patient should be referred to a rheumatologist. The development of 14-3-3eta is a true Canadian success story. The 14-3-3eta protein’s role in arthritis was a collaborative discovery by researchers Dr. Walter Maksymowych at the University of Alberta and Drs. Aziz Ghahary and Ruhangiz Kilani at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver General Hospital. JOINTstat has been evaluated in clinical studies in over 3,000 patients and has been available in the United States since late 2013. “When diagnosed early, rheumatoid arthritis can be better managed with drug therapies, resulting in better outcomes by limiting disease progression. Current diagnostic tests are limited in their ability to catch the disease early,” said Maksymowych, Medical Research Professor of Medicine and Rheumatologist at the University of Alberta and co-discoverer of 14-3-3eta. “With the availability of JOINTstat in Canada, physicians now have the opportunity to treat rheumatoid arthritis early, prior to the onset of significant joint damage. This represents an important milestone towards the goal of personalized medicine.” www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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