Dynamic Chiropractic - August 12, 1994, Volume 12, Issue 17

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Reviews


By Keith Innes, DC, Dean of the MPI Faculty

Title: The Mears Technique; a bio-mechanical study of occipital-cervical spine displacement and correction Author: D.B. Mears Sr., DC, PhC Publisher: D.B. Mears Jr., DC (203) 749-2789 Category: Education: upper cervical technique manual Publication: Softcover, approximately 89 pages of text and note space

This technique manual is based on an extensive x-ray analysis and blatant overuse and abuse of x-rays. On page 75 in the manual, Dr. Mears states: "The patient is adjusted and immediately re-x-rayed. I adjust and re-x-ray on the basis of three times per week for those living in the area." The first nine chapters deal with x-ray marking and a few adjustive procedures. Chapter 10 deals with the neurological connections between the thoracic, lumbar, and cervical spine. Chapter 11 is about care of the acute case. The balance of the text deals with some office procedures, spinal analysis, and extremity adjusting.

There are no references other than a few name dropping techniques and buzz words here and there. I realize that this is Dr. Mears' life's work and I am sure that he is very proud of it. However, in the face of the abundant wealth of literature in today's world, it is not something that I would recommend to any chiropractor or student who is genuinely interested in the best possible care of his or her patient.

Innes rating: 1


Stephen Savoie, DC, DABCO

Title: "Beyond Carpal Tunnel: The Other Tunnels You Need to Know" Author: Scott R. Cramer, DC, DABCO (719) 633-7246 Publisher: Bear La Bay Productions, Inc. Category: Doctor education Publication: Videotape

"Beyond Carpal Tunnel" is a video presentation of the differential diagnosis of entrapment syndromes of the cervical spine and upper extremity.

Dr. Cramer is a board certified chiropractic orthopedist who recently published an article on double crush syndrome. He also lectures on entrapment syndromes.

As is explained by Dr. Cramer, there is more to entrapment syndromes than carpal tunnel. He describes a number of upper extremity entrapment syndromes which may be encountered in chiropractic practice. He discusses this area of diagnosis as it relates to repetitive motion injuries in the workplace and its growing importance in workers' compensation.

The format of the program revolves around Dr. Cramer examining a patient with complaint of upper extremity pain. He systematically covers the various entrapments syndromes, from the cervical spine to the wrist, pointing out the various anatomic landmarks, and examination procedures used to differently diagnosis entrapments of the cervical spine, axilla, radial, median and ulnar nerves.

Although the basic material is well researched, the presentation is difficult to follow. Dr. Cramer's patient is not gowned and when he points out alteration of posture in the head, neck and shoulders, the viewer cannot see this at all. The program's effectiveness is inhibited by the absence of any artwork or diagrams of the anatomical areas being evaluated. This coupled with the use of terms not readily familiar to many chiropractors makes the program hard to absorb.

During the orthopedic examination of the patient, Dr. Cramer discusses an alternate means of recording positive findings (grades 1-4) without sufficient explanation to make clear how he is grading the tests. This makes that portion of the tape somewhat confusing.

In some parts of the examination, the camera angle makes it difficult to see what is being tested and what the expected result should be.

I believe the focus of this presentation is important information for the profession to know. However, the format of this tape makes it difficult to follow and adequately absorb.

Savoie Rating: 5