"Motion Palpation and Manipulation of the Lower Cervicals"

Presented by -- L.J. Faye, D.C.

Videotape -- approximately one hour running time

See pages xxx on how to order

Not long ago, a young man came into my office with a sharp pain at the thoracolumbar junction received from a fall off a ladder. He had already been the medical route (naturally) and had never been to a chiropractor before.

He was loaded with all kinds of questions -- ones filled with obvious skepticism. At one point I almost asked him why he had come in the first place, but since I encourage questions I let him just fire away.

After taking a history, I began the physical examination. To my surprise, he had enough electrodes strapped to his back to make a robot jealous. He assured me that the TENS unit he was wearing was the only way he could get through the day without unbearable pain.

After four visits he came in and told me that he thought he might not be coming any longer because he wasn't making the progress he thought he should.

"Sorry," I said, "sometimes it takes a little time to experience relief and, of course, chiropractic isn't a panacea."

He nodded. "And people have told me that chiropractors make you come back all the time."

"There are some unethical chiropractors who sometimes schedule excessive visits," I admitted, "but remember, every time someone takes a prescription drug, that person is receiving a medical treatment. The only difference is that you have to go to the chiropractor's office. Chiropractic therapy doesn't come in a bottle."

Then came the bombshell. When I asked him if he had felt any relief from anything we had done in the four visits, he admitted that he had cut down on his medication and no longer had to wear his TENS unit.

"But I thought you said you hadn't made any progress!" I said in obvious surprise.

"Yeah," he replied, "but I probably would have gotten better anyway. Besides, I don't really believe in what you guys do. I mean, how can you tell if you've really moved a bone?"

After scraping my jaw off the floor, I assured him that the determination of the success of an adjustment was not only discerned through symptomatic relief but through the motion palpation of the structures mobilized after the adjustment.

This seemed to satisfy him and he continued treatments until he was symptom free.

This event made me think that too often patients will come into a DC's office and get "popped" without having the slightest idea about the skilled analysis it takes to render a successful adjustment.

With the Faye videotape on palpation and adjustment of the mid and lower cervical spine we have, as a profession, the quintessence of mechanical analysis of the human structure. Recent research as that published in the December 1989 issue of JMPT indicates that studies have shown that both the mid-cervical and lumbar spines are quite difficult to effectively palpate.

It is, therefore, extremely important for the chiropractic physician to develop an expertise in the more difficult areas of spinal palpation. The wonderful thing about all of the tapes in this series is that they aren't just "how to" tapes. They are, in fact, lessons in topographical anatomy and in mechanical movement indigenous to the area.

With multiple cameras and expert editing, every subtle nuance of palpation and the mobilization of fixations is clearly demonstrated from different angles.

It doesn't matter what technique is used, this tape on the mid and lower cervicals is essential in the learning process of every student of chiropractic, every teacher, and every doctor in the field. It's pure, it's clean, it's what we do.

RHT