What is this thing bodybuilders and weightlifters refer to as muscle memory? Is it for real?

The following forum post addresses this common concern often raised by athletes when back pain, neck pain or a sports injury forces them to take a layoff from training.

Steven wrote:

Thanks for the advice Mitch and Ron, but I just have a few more questions. I do agree and think I might need to lay off working out for a while, but the thing is I really couldn’t afford to stop for more than a month. Because after that all my hard work would start to disappear pretty fast.

Longtime bodybuilder, Mitch responds with some good advice for this young athlete concerned over possibly losing strength and muscle mass during recovery…

Hi Steven,

I know you’re concerned about losing your hard-earned gains, but believe me, your fears are unfounded. I’ve been a bodybuilder for over 30 years and I’ve had to take many, many lay-offs for as long as 6 months or more at a time due to injuries and I’ve never had any trouble getting back to my previous strength levels within 3 to 4 weeks.

The reason for this is something most lifter’s call “muscle memory.” Once you train a muscle to a certain level it “remembers” and can return very quickly to that previous condition.

That’s not to say you could take 10 years off and expect to bounce back within a few months, but taking the time off you need to heal from this minor injury isn’t going to affect your long-term gains in any significant way.

On the other hand, the longer you put off allowing this injury a chance to recover the greater risk you’re taking with your entire athletic career. Do the smart thing and concentrate your efforts now on full recovery so you can get back to training at 100% that much sooner.

As far as your lower back is concerned, I doubt the neck problem has anything to do with it. I would think it would be the other way around. Your lower back problem could be contributing to your neck problem.

Good luck,
Mitch

You can read the entire thread of this conversation as well as many more gems of wisdom from fellow rebuilders dealing with neck pain, sciatica, herniated discs and more in the Rebuilder’s Forum.

Be sure to check it out.

The following are just a few excerpts I pulled from an article written by physical therapist, Paul Lee about the dangers of spinal manipulation particularly in relation to the cervical spine:

“Cervical manipulation, especially with rotation (the most commonly used method by chiropractors), should be considered a contraindicated technique.”

In light of the number of injuries (and deaths due to stroke) following chiropractic neck adjustments, medical professionals like Lee are urging their colleagues to pay closer attention to the patient’s recent treatment history when they present neck related symptoms. He further advises:

“All healthcare professions, including Emergency Room staff, must be alert to the possibility of injuries caused by spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). The patient’s medical history should include questions about possible spinal manipulation within the last 30 days, at the very least.”

He goes on to write:

“Physical Therapists should encourage patients with such injuries to report them to their own doctors. (I can’t be the only PT who has encountered patients with fractured spines, spinal stenosis, herniated discs, paralysis, stable fractures made unstable, severe sprains and strains, torn muscles, and unremitting headaches for years, all as a direct result of a specific chiropractic adjustment…”

There is a growing body of evidence that spinal manipulation can cause injury and even death especially when applied to the cervical spine. The medical profession is just beginning to understand and compile evidence about this very serious health risk to patients.

I strongly urge all medical professionals, chiropractors and anyone considering chiropractic treatment to carefully investigate all the facts surrounding this issue. A good place to start would be to read Paul Lee’s entire article, Risks Related to Manipulation of the Cervical Spine.

(Update added 10/11/2006)

Also, be sure to check out this latest article on the subject: How Chiropractic Damages Your Spine.

– Dean

The following are excerpts from a letter to Life University graduates by Dr. Allen Botnick, DC concerning his ongoing efforts to prepare a legal defense on their behalf. (Added emphasis is mine.)

AN OPEN LETTER TO LIFE UNIVERSITY CHIROPRACTIC ALUMNI

Dear Life University College of Chiropractic alumnus,

I have previously written that I am preparing a defense of student loans for Life graduates…

It is well known that Life University violated Council on Chiropractic accreditation requirements and that this led to their loss of accreditation in 2001…

The violations involved a scheme where Life University advertised to prospective students that they would be taught legitimate differential diagnosis…

The affected alumni were not trained to diagnose accurately, (instead were taught to) order excessive x-rays, delay necessary medical treatment and are commiting malpractice in many states…

While some outdated state laws, legal judgments and medical board opinions support chiropractic analysis for “subluxations” as a scope of practice, the practice is always unsafe and leads to poor outcomes in patient care…

This scope of practice has no future. By not identifying which problems can legitimately be helped by treatment, individuals practicing this way commit insurance abuse through overutilization…

A serious effect of this overutilization is that it puts patients at risk for adverse effects such as joint sprains and strokes from unnecessary manipulation…

In order to avoid harming patients all chiropractors who do not (know) how to perform a differential diagnosis must surrender their licenses and stop practicing immediately. Failure to do this puts graduates at risk for individual charges of malpractice and insurance abuse…

In the case of Life University, the state law violations are breach of contract for not providing the differential diagnosis instuction and lack of properly qualified faculty, potential fraud and false advertising. Because you can not practice as a chiropractor with this training you may be entitled to claim a large amount of damages that could completely eliminate your student loans.

Best regards,
Allen Botnick DC
Life University College of Chiropractic
Magna Cum Laude, 1996.

The full text of Dr Botnick’s letter, which should be of particular interest to Life University graduates can be found at this Chirotalk forum post.

I came across an interesting blog the other day entitled Anne’s Anti-Quackery and Science Blog that I thought would be particularly interesting to any of you rebuilders who are natural-born skeptics like myself.

I’ve only had a chance to read a few of her articles and essays so far, but from what I have read, she seems to be very articulate and level-headed.

Her postings are centered on evaluating alternative treatments, science, pseudoscience and medicine … but she also has sections on religion, intelligent design, conspiracy theories, myths and the like if you’re interested in any of those things.

I’ve been mainly focused on her Anti-Quackery Page since that is where my interests lie.

She makes it quite clear that she is merely expressing her own personal opinions and does a good job of providing links to additional material if the reader wishes to learn more.

Overall, I found her writing style to be objective, rational, thought provoking and occasionally humorous. I intend to go back and read the rest of her material and I thought you might be interested in doing the same.

Two chiropractors — Eric and Christopher Topel of Atlanta, Georgia - have been sentenced in United States District Court on charges of health care fraud.

The two brothers were convicted of these charges in February, 2006 and both were sentenced on June 2nd, 2006 to 2 years, 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, during which they each will be required to perform 350 hours of community service.

A very light sentence considering that they could have received as much as 10 years in prison for the offense.

According to a press release issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation: From approximately late 2003 into 2005, at various back pain clinics within the state of Georgia, the two chiropractors engaged in insurance fraud scams that together attempted to bilk Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia out of almost $2 Million.

The scheme involved false billing for a non-surgical back pain procedure known as Veterbral Axial Decompression or “VAX-D.”

Blue Cross considers VAX-D to be investigational and not medically necessary, and has made it clear to health care providers that it does not cover the procedure. However, the Topels devised a way to receive reimbursement from Blue Cross for this non-covered procedure anyway.

Their plan involved misleading Blue Cross into believing they were performing other services. Or, to but it bluntly, they lied and submitted billing for services that they did not perform… but that the insurance provider would cover.

Specifically, the Topels used an inapplicable medical billing code on their insurance claims that pertained only to surgical procedures, rather than the medical billing code for VAX-D.

The pair also went so far as to instruct their employees not to call the procedure “VAX-D” when speaking to Blue Cross representatives, and to conceal references to “VAX-D” in the patient files.

In other words, they falsified medical records.

As part of the scheme, BPI of Columbus billed Blue Cross for over $630,000, and BPI of Albany billed Blue Cross for over $860,000, all for VAX-D. During the same time period, Christopher Topel’s Atlanta-based clinics also billed Blue Cross for over $800,000 for VAX-D procedures.

Among the chiropractic clinics involved were:

• The Back Pain Institute of Albany, Georgia (”BPI of Albany”)
• The Back Pain Institute of Columbus, Georgia (”BPI of Columbus”)
• As well as several other back pain clinics in the metropolitan Atlanta area.

After the sentencing, United States Attorney David E. Nahmias made the following statement:

“The Topels were health care providers who, between the two of them, cheated Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia out of over $2 million. By doing so, the Topels sought to enrich themselves at the expense of ordinary Americans who pay Blue Cross premiums. Those who would engage in similar schemes should take notice of the consequences of engaging in fraudulent billing practices that contribute to escalating health care costs for all.”

I believe a round of applause goes to the special agents of the FBI who investigated this case, the prosecuting attorneys (Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Anand and Teresa D. Hoyt) United States Attorney David E. Nahmias and United States District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr. for all their hard work in putting the bad guys where they belong.

http://atlanta.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/healthcarefraud060206.htm