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June 2021 Vol. 121, No. 6

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Latest Articles
Letters to the Editor

COMSAE Phase 1: value added

Donald Sefcik, DO, MBA, and Elizabeth M. Petsche, JD
Musculoskeletal Medicine and Pain

Assessment of potential strain injury to rectus capitis posterior minor muscles during whiplash type distortions of the cervical spine

Richard C. Hallgren, PhD, and Jacob J. Rowan, DO
Whiplash type injuries resulting from a rear end motor vehicle accident are thought to be caused by excessive loading and displacement of structural components of the cervical spine. On impact, the seat propels the driver’s torso forward relative to the head, resulting in forced flexion of the occipitoatlantal (OA) joint, accompanied by forced stretching of the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPm) muscles. To quantify the relationships among flexion of the OA joint, RCPm muscle stretch, and backset - and to quantify the biomechanical response of RCPm muscles to increasing levels of axial load due to stretching - the authors assessed the results of hydrauclic stretching of RCPm muscles from unembalmed head and neck specimens from three elderly White female cadavers.
Medical Education

Establishing osteopathic assessments to fulfill osteopathic recognition standards: a model for dermatology and other subspecialties

Scott J. Mahlberg, DO; Yujie Linda Liou, DO; and Jenifer Lloyd, DO
In this Commentary, based on the results of a literature review, the authors propose a model to provide a focused osteopathic assessment for the purposes of maintaining Osteopathic Recognition within residency training programs based on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s six core competencies. Examples of multiple choice and essay questions are provided, as is a rubric for grading. The model is applied to the field of dermatology in this article but proposed as a blueprint for other subspecialties.

2021 George W. Northup, DO, Medical Writing Award

Journal of Osteopathic Medicine and the American Osteopathic Association congratulate John C. Licciardone, DO, and Robert J. Gatchel, PhD, recipients of the George W. Northup, DO, Medical Writing Award for their article, “Osteopathic Medical Care With and Without Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pain Registry–Based Study.” Read the full article here.

Journal of Osteopathic Medicine launches inaugural issues

Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (JOM) – known for 119 years as the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association – published its inaugural issue in January 2021. Learn how the osteopathic medical profession’s journal of record has been refreshed and refocused by reading the introductory Editorial from Dr. Ross Zafonte, JOM’s Editor in Chief; a Q&A with Melissa Schmidt, JOM’s Director; and an announcement from AOA President Dr. Thomas Ely and CEO Dr. Kevin Klauer.

  • Most Read
  1. Assessment of potential strain injury to rectus capitis posterior minor muscles during whiplash type distortions of the cervical spine
  2. A mixed treatment comparison of selected osteopathic techniques used to treat acute nonspecific low back pain: a proof of concept and plan for further research
  3. Effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment on pulmonary function testing in children with asthma
  4. Polyarticular, ulcerated tophaceous gout
  5. Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment and bio-electromagnetic energy regulation therapy on lower back pain
Clinical Image

Polyarticular, ulcerated tophaceous gout

Plain radiographs of this 65 year old man’s foot revealed heterotopic ossification over the first MTP joint with adjacent cutaneous ulceration. Separately, elbow debridement revealed purulent, chalky material in the olecranon bursa and adjacent acute cellulitis with focal areas of necrosis. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis were grown from cultures obtained during the debridement, and monosodium urate crystals were visualized using polarized light microscopy. Although this patient recovered from the infection, he presented to the emergency department for recurrent gout flares and developed tophaceous deposits in his left-sided first MTP, knee, and shoulder. Read more