Michael M. Patterson – författare

The Science and Clinical Application of Manual Therapy is a multi-disciplinary, international reference book based on work by the top basic science researchers and clinical researchers in the area of Manual Therapy and Manual Medicine (MT/MM). The first book to bring together research on the benefits of MT/MM beyond the known effects on musculoskeletal disorders, the volume presents evidence of the benefit of MT/MM in treating systemic disorders.

This book makes a powerful case for how MT/MM affects the central nervous system and the autonomic effector systems (the circulatory, respiratory, gastrointestinal systems, and pelvic organs) which impact on a person's health. The volume covers how MT/MM works and details the conditions - such as chronic skeletal and visceral pain diseases, asthma, pneumonia, and cardiovascular deregulation - that can benefit from it. Longstanding theoretical models of MT/MM mechanisms are critically assessed in the light of current understanding of physiological and neurophysiological function, and the influences of psychological and cortical processes on the effects of MT/MM are explored.

The book, which is divided into four main sections, will appeal to osteopathic physicians, osteopaths, chiropractors, physical therapists and massage therapists, as well as all body workers/health practitioners who use their hands in health care. It will be of particular value to all practitioners involved in treatment of chronic pain disorders as well as those involved in basic and clinical research in this field.

The spinal cord has long been viewed as largely a conduit for neural impulses from the body to the brain and the brain to the body, with various reflexes hard wired in the structure to allow for low level control. The past two decades of the 20th century have seen a very different view of the spinal cord emerging from the laboratories of various disciplines. Studies rooted in physiology, psychology, rehabilitation, pain control and regeneration have begun to show that the spinal cord contains neurons whose functional capacities are highly plastic. This book brings together researchers from several of the most exciting areas of spinal cord plasticity research. Collectively, they present not only findings in their areas, but a perspective of the broader emerging picture of spinal cord neural plasticity.

The area of spinal cord plasticity has become a very actively researched field. The spinal cord has long been known to organize reflex patterns and serve as the major transmission pathway for sensory and motor nerve impulses. However, the role of the spinal cord in information processing and in experience driven alterations is generally not recognized. With recent advances in neural recording techniques, behavioral technologies and neural tracing and imaging methods has come the ability to better assess the role of the spinal cord in behavioral control and alteration. The discoveries in recent years have been revolutionary. Alterations due to nociceptive inputs, simple learning paradigms and repetitive inputs have now been documented and their mechanisms are being elucidated. These findings have important clinical implications. The development of pathological pain after a spinal cord injury likely depends on the sensitization of neurons within the spinal cord. The capacity of the spinal cord to change as a function of experience, and adapt to new environmental relations, also affects the recovery locomotive function after a spinal cord injury. Mechanisms within the spinal cord can support stepping and the capacity for this behavior depends on behavioral training. By taking advantage of the plasticity inherent within the spinal cord, rehabilitative procedures may foster the recovery of function.

The area of spinal cord plasticity has become a very actively researched field. The spinal cord has long been known to organize reflex patterns and serve as the major transmission pathway for sensory and motor nerve impulses. However, the role of the spinal cord in information processing and in experience driven alterations is generally not recognized. With recent advances in neural recording techniques, behavioral technologies and neural tracing and imaging methods has come the ability to better assess the role of the spinal cord in behavioral control and alteration. The discoveries in recent years have been revolutionary. Alterations due to nociceptive inputs, simple learning paradigms and repetitive inputs have now been documented and their mechanisms are being elucidated. These findings have important clinical implications. The development of pathological pain after a spinal cord injury likely depends on the sensitization of neurons within the spinal cord. The capacity of the spinal cord to change as a function of experience, and adapt to new environmental relations, also affects the recovery locomotive function after a spinal cord injury. Mechanisms within the spinal cord can support stepping and the capacity for this behavior depends on behavioral training. By taking advantage of the plasticity inherent within the spinal cord, rehabilitative procedures may foster the recovery of function.