Abstract
M. Tech.
A study was undertaken at the Chiropractic Clinic at the University of
Johannesburg in Doornfontein on the effects of chiropractic spinal therapy and the
autonomic nervous system with specific reference to the eye and the effects on the
visual fields.
The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate effects of chiropractic
adjustments on the visual fields in comparison to a placebo group in individuals
with asymptomatic cervical facet joint dysfunction at the atlanto-occipital joint
complex. This was achieved through the examination of peripheral visual field
testing using the Humphrey Field II 740 analyser.
The sample size and selection of subjects were recruited at the University of
Johannesburg clinic in Doornfontein and conducted over a period of four months.
These patients were recruited by the use of advertisements placed in the
Chiropractic Day Clinic on the Doornfontein Campus and by word of mouth.
Any patient volunteering for the study had to meet the inclusion criteria. The
inclusion criteria required the patients to present with asymptomatic cervical facet
joint dysfunction at the atlanto-occipital joint complex. They were also to be
between the ages of eighteen and thirty five years of age, have 20/20 vision as
determined by the Near Snellen Chart and have no contra-indication to the
chiropractic adjustment. For all research patients, the same treatment protocol was
adhered to
Objective data was obtained by the Humphrey II Field Analyzer, model 740,
which determined the patients’ visual fields before and after the chiropractic
adjustments and placebo treatment was administered.
The objective results of this dissertation demonstrated that there was no statistical
significance between the male and female groups. However the results collected
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may suggest that there was a minimal increase in responsiveness following
placebo the treatment.
In conclusion, it was shown that no statistical difference occurred with regards to
the immediate effects of the chiropractic adjustment on the visual fields in
comparison to the placebo group in individuals with asymptomatic cervical facet
joint dysfunction at the atlanto-occipital joint.