In a November 24th ruling, Austin State District Judge Stephen Yelenosky said state law prevents chiropractors from performing clinical needle electromyography (EMG) or spinal manipulation under anesthesia (MUA). Yelenosky granted a Texas Medical Association and Texas Medical Board request for a partial summary judgment against the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners and the Texas Chiropractic Association.
"Judge Yelenosky ruled that chiropractors cannot perform needle EMGs or manipulation under anesthesia because both of those procedures are beyond the chiropractors' lawful scope of practice," said Austin attorney David F. Bragg, one of the lawyers for TMA. The chiropractors are expected to appeal the ruling, he said.
TMA sued in 2006 to block the chiropractic board's rules that would permit chiropractors to perform clinical needle EMG and MUA, because both procedures constitute the clinical and legal practice of medicine. View the full press release at the TMA website.
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2 comments:
This is a turf and market share protection issue, not a public health and "patient safety" issue.
Chiropractors who have the post-grad training are just as qualified to do MUA's and EMG's, and are, in fact, qualified to diagnose medical conditions. If it were an issue based solely on qualifications and primary care diagnostician status, PT's would also be excluded, but they're not.
Incidentally, chiropractors and MD's share the same accrediting institutions/boards for post-grad certifications for electrodiagnostics and clinical neurology (and others), for example, NCCA and NOCA.
This action is a continuation of TMA's "Trojan Horse" to eventually limit the scope of practice of chiropractors in Texas as much as possible.
These tactics are deplorable, self-serving, and,divisive, and do not serve the patient population, nor do they serve inter-professional relations.
The only thing constant in this universe is change. The chiropractic profession needs to be aware of that and continue to evolve.
Since we are now musculoskeletal specialists, we need to avail ourselves to things
that involve the musculoskeletal system, such as Simmons and Travells's Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy employing the use of injectable B-12 and Lidocaine.
Physical Therapists are moving into the DC territory and soon will be dominating it with the help of the medical men.
We must change to survive. Otherwise, we will be like the Taliban riding camels and shooting rifles at Blackhawk Helicopters.
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