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The Foundation of Biomechanical Evaluation Following Injury

By |May 11, 2012|Chiropractic Care, Clinical Pearl, Evaluation & Management, Rehabilitation|

The Foundation of Biomechanical Evaluation Following Injury

The Chiro.Org Blog


Clinical Monograph 9

By R. C. Schafer, DC, PhD, FICC


INTRODUCTION

The study of human biomechanics includes the mechanical principles involved, the physiologic considerations of muscle length-tension relations, and an understanding of the controlling neuromotor mechanisms and the sensory feedback apparatus, reflecting both locomotor activity and cerebral function. Applied biomechanics is the application of the practical principles of mechanics (the study of forces and their effects) to the body in movement and at rest.

The more biomechanics are understood, the better musculoskeletal disorders in sports and the workplace can be appreciated. The same can be said of physical work and recreational activities. The athlete is constantly attempting to improve performance by applying biomechanical principles to specific movements. The same is true for ergonomics in the workplace. From the viewpoint of the doctor, knowledge of the mechanisms involved in an injury is necessary to evaluate an injury accurately.


PERTINENT BIOMECHANICS

From a pure musculoskeletal standpoint, the human body is a mechanical device. All mechanical devices are subject to wear during use that reflects their history of destructive forces. Unique to living tissue is its ability to heal, adapt, and strengthen, which provides a dialogue between catabolic and anabolic forces. While machines convert thermal or chemical energy into mechanical energy, muscle tissue transforms nutrients directly into mechanical energy without a thermal intermediary. Body energy enables it to overcome resistance to motion, to produce a physical effect, and to accomplish work.

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Practical Concepts

The body’s kinetic energy is reflected in its velocity, and its potential energy is reflected in its position. Work is the result of a force acting through a distance. Power relates to the time element and the work accomplished. There is a close association in the same unit of time between the work accomplished by a weight lifter and that of a sprinter. (more…)

First, Make Rice

By |October 12, 2011|Clinical Pearl, Practice Management|

First, Make Rice

The Chiro.Org Blog


Fledgling sushi chefs spend months (sometimes years) doing nothing but making the rice for the head chef.

If the rice isn’t right, it really doesn’t matter what else you do, you’re not going to be able to create and serve great sushi.

The clinical education provided in Chiropractic curricula invariably has to assume that their students already know how to “make the rice”.

They have to assume that you understand the art of asking questions and listening, that you have experience with building rapport, that you have an innate empathy for what your patients want and think, that you know how to make a compelling case that chiropractic can help them, that you know how to enroll them in the concept of a corrective care plan (think orthodontia), that you know the difference between presentation and conversation, and when they say yes, you know exactly what to do to get them started. (more…)