These two papers, while written (and rewritten), reviewed and edited, were not published because of failure to get prior authorization by an independent review board. What can I say, this was a time of transition from not needing IRB approval for publication to absolutely needing approval. I was on a roll, working towards finding information on topics that very much interested me, and I did not see the need to get permission to be inquisitive! My data gathering did not involve x-raying people, nor torturing them in any way. As a side note, while I understand why IRB oversight may be necessary, I also find that the imposition of such red tape only serves to discourage the field practitioner from getting involved in research. A trend I find detrimental to the profession. Regardless, these two studies contain interesting information regarding the phenomenon of the "short leg" (that is, functional postural distortion) that someone may wish to draw on and use for future study.
Dr K.
Dr K.
Co-variables to unloaded leg-length alignment asymmetry, or the functional “short leg”
This study was undertaken to collect and analyze co-variables on subjects in clinical settings with a presumed supine functional “short leg”. Those variables included: gender, height, width across the pelvis, pelvic tilt, and side and magnitude of mal-alignment. An additional category was included in which patients ranked how far out of alignment they felt. The resulting analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between pelvic width and magnitude of the "short leg", that pelvic unleveling was not a good indicator of the side of the "short leg", and showed that how a patient felt (vis-a-vie their alignment) was related to the magnitude of misalignment -- this an indication that the "short leg" as used in supine leg checks is functional phenomenon. Further, data is presented as to how the anatomic and physiologic "short leg" phenomenon may overlap and how that may affect leg checking.
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Endurance of the Quadratus Lumborum Muscles in Response to Vibration of Dorsal Upper Cervical Muscles
A previous study I had published (see Knutson GA, Owens E. Erector and Quadratus Lumborum Muscle Endurance Tests and Supine Leg-length Alignment Asymmetry: An Observational Study. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2005;28(8):575-581) demonstrated a correlation between reduced quadratus lumborum muscle endurance and the side of the supine "short leg". It has been known for some time that postural muscles are influenced by muscle spindle inputs from the upper cervical spine. Upper cervical practitioners utilize the leg check as an indicator of upper cervical dysfunction. Given the evidence of the involvement of the quadratus lumborum muscle with the "short leg", I wanted to examine whether stimulation of upper cervical muscle spindles via vibration would have an effect on muscle endurance, particularly the quadratus lumborum muscle.