physiotherapy, N o vem be r 1986, vol 42 no 4 ABSTRACTS J o h n s o n K .A . a n d S n o w C .J. T h e m o d el system : a p ra c tic a l re se a rc h to o l fo r th e clinician. P h y sio th e ra p y Canada 1986; 38(4): 225-229. T h ere is no d o u b t th a t m ore research is needed in p h y sio th e ra p y to d e m o n s tra te efficacy an d to im prove p resen t tre a tm e n ts. T h e p u rp o s e o f this p a p e r is to discuss th e m o d e l s y s te m as a specific, effective, and relatively sim ple an d p ra c tic a l research tech n iq u e useful fo r clinicians in terested in stu d y in g th e effects o f th eir tr e a tm e n ts . T h e m o d e l s y s te m in v o lv e s d u p lic a tin g ch aracteristics o f a c o n d itio n an d a p p ly in g c o n tro lled ex perim ental tests to those characteristics. T h e problem s asso ciated w ith clinical trials, to g e th e r w ith th e a d v a n ­ tages an d d isad v an tag es o f using a h u m a n m odel system in c lin ic a l p ra c tic e , a re e m p h a s iz e d in th is p a p e r. ^ M e th o d s o f d eveloping m odel system s are discussed / a n d ex am p les given, in clu d in g th e a u th o r s ’ ow n m odel system d esigned to stu d y th e effects o f u ltra s o u n d on a c u te in fla m m a tio n . T h e im p o rta n c e o f a c c u ra te an d precise m e asu rem en t to o ls is also stressed, to g e th e r w ith the need fo r a d e q u a te ex p e rim e n ta l c o n tro ls to m inim ize v a ria b ility a n d bias. T h e a u th o r s arg u e th a t once a te c h n iq u e is p ro v e n effective w ith in a m odel system , th e clin ician will have a cq u ired in fo rm a tio n essential fo r th e success o f a clinical trial. T hey c o n ten d th a t th e h u m a n m odel system th e re fo re provides a viable m e th o d by w hich novice a n d tim e-restrain ed c lin ic ia n s c a n a c tiv e ly c o n tr ib u t e to p h y s io th e ra p y know ledge, an d th a t, w ith this “h an d s o n ” research ex p erien ce, c lin ician s can g re a tly increase th e ir chances o f success w ith th e m uch m ore difficult test o f tre a tm e n t effectiveness — th e clinical trial. A u th o rs ’ S u m m a ry O tte n b a c h e r K .J. et al. Q u a n tita tiv e an alysis o f the ;ffectiveness o f p e d ia tric th e ra p y . E m p h asis o n the N eu ro d ev elo p m en tal tr e a tm e n t a p p ro a c h . P h ys Ther 1986; 66(7): 1095-1101 We investigated th e effectiveness o f n eu ro d ev elo p m en tal tr e a tm e n t w hen u sed b o th in is o la tio n an d in c o m b in a ­ tio n w ith o th e r d e v e lo p m e n ta l th erap ies. T h e d a ta were analyzed using recently developed m eth o d s o f q u a n tita ­ tively synthesizing research results in w hich the literatu re review process is re g a rd e d as a u n iq u e ty p e o f research. O u r analysis revealed th a t th e subjects w ho received N D T p erfo rm ed slightly b e tte r th a n th e c o n tro l-c o m - p a riso n subjects w ho did n o t receive th e in te rv e n tio n . T h e stu d y o u tco m es are discussed in re la tio n to several design v ariab les an d stu d y ch a ra c te ristic s associated w ith su b ject p e rfo rm a n c e . T h e ad v an ta g es an d lim ita ­ tio n s o f q u a n tita tiv e review ing are id en tified briefly, and th e p o te n tia l use o f th e p ro ced u res in clinical research is em phasized. A u th o rs ’ S u m m a ry W eb b J.A . P a in c o n tro l via th e d o rs o -lu m b a r sy m p a­ th e tic ou tflo w . A u str a lia n J o u r n a l o f P h ysio th era p y 1986; 32(2): 79-87. N o a c c e p ta b le scientific e x p la n a tio n has yet been fo u n d to a c c o u n t fo r th e success o f su c h re m o te tre a tm e n ts as a c u p u n c tu re a n d co n n ectiv e tissu e m assage w hich do n o t c o n fo rm to the recognized d is trib u tio n o f segm ental reference. T h is p a p e r is th e resu lt o f clinical o b s e rv a tio n s over th e p a s t seven years, revealing prev io u sly unsuspected effects fro m ap p ly in g v ario u s tre a tm e n ts to th e a re a of the sy m p ath etic d o rso -lu m b a r outflow fo r a wide variety o f p a in fu l co n d itio n s. A n h y p o th esis is offered w hich m ay a c c o u n t fo r th o s e re m o te effects h ith e rto p o o rly u n d e rs to o d . A u th o r ’s S u m m a ry Z u s m a n M . S p in a l m a n ip u la tiv e th e ra p y : R eview of som e p ro p o s e d m ech a n ism s, an d a new h y p o th esis. A u stra lia n J o u r n a l o f P h y sio th e ra p y 1986; 32(2): 89-99. S o m e o f th e claim s fo r th e effects, an d m ech an ism s fo r th e re lie f o f p a in o f sp in al o rig in , w hich have been a ttrib u te d to sp in al m a n ip u la tiv e th e ra p y are review ed. M o st o f these are still to be a d e q u a te ly investigated e x p e rim e n ta lly ; th e few w hich have been specifically investigated have n o t been su p p o rte d . It is h y p o th esized th a t an effective, alb e it often te m ­ p o ra r y , decrease in p a tie n ts ’ p e rc e p tio n o f p a in m ay be a re s u lt o f tw o o rd e re d events. T h e first is in h ib itio n of reflex m uscle c o n tr a c tio n w hich is m a x im a lly m ed iated by jo i n t a fferen ts w ith end o f ra n g e passive jo i n t m ove­ m ent. T he seco n d is a hysteresis effect fo r n e u ra l d is­ ch a rg e in jo in t afferents w hich m ay be p ro d u c e d w ith m a in ta in e d o r rep etitiv e en d o f range passive jo in t m ovem ent. A u th o r ’s S u m m a ry G a rra d d J . a n d B ullock M. T h e effect o f re s p ira to ry th e r a p y on in tra c ra n ia l p ressu re in v en tilated n e u ro s u r­ gical patients. A ustralian J o u rn a l o f P hysiotherapy 1986; 32(2): 107-111. C o n sid e ra b le c o n c e rn has been ex p ressed a b o u t the effect o f re s p ira to ry th e ra p y o n in tra c ra n ia l p ressu re (I .C .P .) in th e a c u te stage o f h ead injury. A stu d y was p e rfo rm e d to e v a lu a te the effects o f re s p ira to ry th e ra p y te c h n iq u e s o n th e level o f l.C .P . in n e u ro s u rg ic a l p a tie n ts . T w en ty subjects w ere stu d ied in b o th the p araly sed an d n o n -p a ra ly se d states. T h e ir in tra c ra n ia l pressures were m o n ito red d u rin g periods o f no tre a tm e n t (th e c o n tro l), d u rin g th e a p p lic a tio n o f in d iv id u al resp i­ ra to ry te c h n iq u e s a n d d u rin g a co m p lete re s p ira to ry tre a tm e n t. A nalyses revealed th a t to ta l tre a tm e n t tim e is a crucial fa c to r in th e level o f l.C .P . P a tie n ts w ith a high restin g I.C .P . are m ore v u ln erab le to large increases, p ro lo n g ed m a n u a l h y p e rin fla tio n raises l.C .P . level a n d suctioning, in p a rtic u la r, causes d ra m a tic increases in l.C .P . A u th o rs ’ S u m m ary 129 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. )