Radiographic re-evaluation in the non-responsive patient: a case report on osteomyelitis

Article Abstract:

X-rays are important diagnostic tools, but not all stages of a disease process will be visible on an X-ray. When treating patients with acute and chronic disease processes that affect the skeletal system and the surrounding soft tissues, reexamination by X-ray is sometimes warranted. A case is described of a 63-year-old woman who went to see her chiropractor for pain and stiffness in her neck, which had begun three days earlier. She had just developed shooting pain down both her arms and echoing sounds in her ears. She denied experiencing trauma, and she had been treating herself at home with almost continuous heat applications. Six weeks earlier she had been hospitalized with pelvic pain, which had been diagnosed as a bladder infection. She was given a thorough examination, which revealed various abnormal chiropractic findings, such as flattening and rigidity in the cervical and thoracic spine. She also had significant pain in her neck and shoulders during the range of motion (ROM) exams. X-rays showed several abnormalities, such as a disc degeneration in the cervical spine, and bone spurring on several vertebrae. She was started on chiropractic manipulation and advised on how to use ice packs at home. The next day she felt faint and feverish, but the pain was still significant. She was given pain medication and continued chiropractic treatment, showing small improvements until her reevaluation on day 26. At this time she was having severe pain in her neck and arms, along with chills and fever. This time the X-rays showed destruction of two cervical vertebrae and the disk between them. The patient was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of osteomyelitis, an infectious process that destroys bone. She went into surgery immediately to remove the infected tissue, and recovered with minimal restriction of movement in her cervical spine. Elderly patients who develop osteomyelitis frequently have a recent history of a urinary tract infection, which was true in this case. The importance of repeating X-ray examinations is obvious from this case, especially when little improvement is made when it is expected from the initial diagnosis. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, X-rays, Osteomyelitis

---

Chiropractic care - an alternative approach

Article Abstract:

Spina bifida is a birth defect where the infant is born with the walls of its spinal canal incompletely fused. This incomplete fusion allows the membranes around the spinal cord to herniate through, causing a fluid-filled tumor. A mother of a boy born with spina bifida reports on her son's case. The child underwent surgery five hours after birth, and the parents were informed as to the possible lifetime consequences of this defect. At two months, the orthopedic specialist put him in a brace for a dislocated hip. The child had frequent urinary tract infections because of an inability to void completely. By 11 months the parents were forewarned of the necessity of starting a catheterization program to prevent these infections, which is common for children with spina bifida. The boy was also constipated, another common problem with spina bifida due to weak muscle functioning, and the doctors suggested suppositories. The mother took her son to see her chiropractor, who had helped her with neck problems that had resulted from a toboggan accident. After a thorough orthopedic, neurological and spinal evaluation and diagnosis, the child began chiropractic treatment. The day after his first chiropractic treatment, the child started to have regular bowel movements. With regular weekly chiropractic treatments the urinary tract infections disappeared and there was no need for catheterization. The child also began a physical therapy program to build his muscles, which had been impossible when he was in the brace. The child developed the ability to crawl and to climb up stairs, and is currently using a walker and continues to progress. The child's doctors had all instructed the mother to continue doing whatever she was doing, because the child was doing exceptionally. The mother suggests that other parents of children with spina bifida learn about the potential benefits of chiropractic. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Spina bifida

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: A fertile woman with non-mosaic Turner's syndrome:a case report and review of the literature. The prevalence and patterns of care of Huntington's Chorea in Grampian
• Abstracts: Symptomatic neuroepithelial (colloid) cysts of the third ventricle: a unique case report in nontwin brothers. Neuroepithelial small cell carcinoma of the vagina
• Abstracts: Medical treatment and long-term survival in a prospective study of 84 patients with endocrine pancreatic tumors
• Abstracts: Endometrial hyperplasia in an oophorectomized woman receiving tamoxifen therapy: case report. Tamoxifen and endometriosis: case report
• Abstracts: Aphthous ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.