News and Events

Dr. Liebenson's course at the University of Southern Denmark in June was a big success. Initially rescheduled due to the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic ash from Iceland.

Comments from the Participants:

"Thank you for a wonderful course in Odense. I am using what I learned on all my patients with  great effect. I look forward to learning more!"

--- Annliv Rosager, D.C. Copenhagen, Denmark

"Thank you for a thought-twisting course in Odense. I had a patient with grave postural and breathing problems. I taught her a few of the exercises we learned and she looked in my mirror and exclaimed: "Oh, I am good looking now! I didn't know I could look this way and have this good posture. And I feel no difficulty breathing. Could it be only through these excercises?"

I hope to be able to attend more of your courses."

--- Susanne Nordell, P.T. at Örestadskliniken in Malmö, Sweden

SURGICAL TREATMENT OF LUMBAR DISK DISORDERS NOT USUALLY NECESSARY!

A new study reported in the November 22, 2006 Vol 296, No. 20 issue of JAMA revealed that the long-term results for patients having spine surgery for sciatica are not any better than for those having conservative care. A JAMA editorial by Stanford University's Dean of Neurosurgery Eugene Carragee, M.D. pointed out:

• the decision to operate or not depends strongly on the patient's situation - emotional, family & economic - rather than the medical findings.
• there is no clear reason to advocate strongly for surgery apart from patient preference (e.g. how urgently they wish to achieve quicker relief)
• the fear of many patients & surgeons that not removing a large disk herniation will likely have catastrophic consequences is false.

Read More....

Dangerous Deception: Hiding the Evidence of Adverse Drug Effects

A Perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine, November 23, 2006 states that drugs like Vioxx wind up in widespread use because:

• the FDA approves a drug because it is more effective than placebo
• worries about the drug's safety emerge
• little research to address these concerns is funded
• money continues to be spent on the newer drugs despite the fact that it may be no better or safer than older, cheaper drugs

Read More...

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such as Advil and Alleve May Not Be Any Safer Than Cox-2 Inhibitor Drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex.

An editorial in the October 31, 2006 issue of the journal Rheumatology reports that, "The current evidence strongly suggests that the risk for cardiovascular events to be similar for both non-selective NSAIDs and COX 2 inhibitors. The potential size of the problem is substantial. Physicians should reconsider their prescription of non-selective NSAIDs in line with those advocated by the FDA."

Read More...

Dr. Liebenson accepts an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor at Murdoch University, Perth
Read more.

And More

Dr. Liebenson is quoted in Shape magazine.

Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Liebenson receives distinguished service award from the Southern California University of Health Sciences. He also has personal appearances scheduled there.

Business Week Interview

Dr. Liebenson is interviewed by Business Week magazine.

Keynote Address

World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) - Delivering a keynote address to Third bi-annual education conference sponsored jointly by these organizations.

Programs in Prague

City of Prague, Czech Republic - Dr. Liebenson regularly facilitates "Manual Medicine and Rehabilitation" programs in Prague, Czech Republic at the Charles University, Department of Rehabilitation in Motol Hospital. Keynote presentors are Karel Lewit, M.D., Pavel Kolar P.T., Alena Kobesova M.D., MIsha Veverokova, P.T., Jiri Cumpelik P.T., and Dagmar Pavlu MSc, P.T. These programs are invitation only and draw from an international, multidisciplinary audience. Past registrants have come from Israel, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, England, Norway, Australia, the United States, and Canada. For details about future courses contact The Gym Ball Store at 800 393-7255 or send an email to gymballstr@aol.com.

Functional Training Program

Functional Training April 2-4, 2004 Craig Liebenson, along with Joel Press, M.D. (director, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) and Michael Geraci, M.D., P.T. (director, Buffalo Spine and Sports), co-chaired an international meeting "Functional Training: From Reactivation to Performance Enhancement." International leaders in musculoskeletal medicine presented to an invitation-only audience of premier physiatrists, osteopaths, chiropractors, physical therapists, and personal trainers.

The faculty was led by keynote presentors Gary Gray, P.T., and Stuart McGill, Ph.D.. Additional faculty members were Jill Binkley P.T., M.Sc.,  Micheal Clark M.S., P.T., Robin Cromwell P.T., Michael Geraci M.D., P.T., Marty Lambert M.S., P.T., O.C.S., Craig Liebenson D.C., Annie O'Connor P.T. O.C.S., Joel Press M.D., Maureen Simmonds P.T., Ph.D. & Clayton Skaggs, D.C." The course notes (nearly 300 pages with illustrations) from this special event are available from The Gym Ball Store at (800) 393-7255."