We have chosen to organize the 1999 ECU Convention in Odense because this year the first cohort of chiropractic students will graduate from Odense University.
The first two days of the convention are organized in the traditional way, with lectures by outstanding speakers at the convention hotel. On the last day, however, the University of Odense and the Back Clinic at Ringe Hospital (where the clinical part of the Odense chiropractic education takes place) have kindly agreed to put their superior facilities and expertise at our disposal for the final day of lectures.
The theme of the convention, "Neck Pain: Disability of the 21st Century," is set in perspective by starting off with the status of neck pain problems by reviewing the history of neck pain and its treatment. The situation of neck pain is elucidated by incidence estimates, risk factors and predictors for chronicity.
Several questions will be raised at the convention. What do we know about work-related risk factors and predictors for chronicity? What are the prognoses of traumatic neck pain, and do they differ from neck pain from other sources? David Cassidy, DC, PhD, and Johan Hviid Andersen, MD, PhD, an occupational physician from Denmark, will answer these questions and more.
On the topic of the acute neck pain patient, you'll hear from the Danish Board of Health on ways to treat the cervical spine. Differential diagnostic considerations and a demonstration of the diversity of manual treatment modes that we can offer will be covered. One of the speakers in this section is associate professor Niels Grunnet-Hilsson, DC,MD,PhD.
What information is obtained by the different types of diagnostic imaging? Lindsay Rowe, DC, MD, will be coming from down under (Australia) to speak on diagnostic imaging. In addition, the importance of biopsychosocial factors in neck pain patients will be addressed by Professor Gordon Waddell.
No convention is complete without a basic research section. Here range of motion is a much discussed aspect of the neck pain problem and will be touched on in this section. What happens to the vertebral artery during manipulation is also being investigated. The results will be ready for the convention. These topics will be covered by Gert Bronfort, DC, PhD, and Henrik Wullff Christensen, DC, MD, among others. Keld Ostergaard, DC, MD, PhD, will present parts of his PhD thesis "Cell Adhesion Molecules in Normal and Osteoarthritic Cartilage -- Immunohistochemical Studies." He'll discuss how this research may affect our work in the clinic.
We cannot talk about manual therapy to the cervical spine without looking into adverse reactions. What is the spectrum of reactions to manual therapy and how frequent are complications? Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde, DC, MPH, PhD has great experience in looking into this minefield and will share her findings. Paul Shekelle, MD, PhD will also present his meta-analysis of manual/conservative treatment for neck pain.
What does the data that has stood the scrutiny of systematic analysis tell us about the efficacy of manual therapy to the cervical spine for acute and chronic neck pain? "The Chronic Neck Pain Patient" is the title under which topics such as rehabilitation of the neck pain patient, a follow-up study on outcome of exercise and/or spinal manipulation in the management of chronic neck pain, and the multidisciplinary approach to chronic neck pain patients will be covered. Alan Jordan, DC, PhD and Gert Bronfort, DC, will cover this section.
Saturday, May 15 will mark a unique occasion to use the facilities of the Back Clinic at Ringe Hospital and the University of Odense. At the university there will be an opportunity to test your own clinical-oriented anatomy by going through 12 stations that include prosections; x-ray analyses; motion analyses; surface anatomy and clinical cases. The students can do it, can you?
Enjoying the Sights and Sounds of Denmark
Odense is located on the island of Funen. With more than 185,000 inhabitants, Odense is the third largest city in Denmark. It is a vibrant city with a history dating back 1,000 years. It is in the heart of Denmark and easily accessible by car, train or airline.
Odense is the chiropractic center of Denmark. It is home to the chiropractic education taught at the University of Odense, and home of the Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics (NIKKB). NIKKB is an independent research institute which takes part in the clinical education of the chiropractic students, provides postgraduate education, and conducts research in chiropractic and clinical biomechanics.
NIKKB was established in 1991 by the Danish Pro-Chiropractic Organization. It is supported by the Nordic countries, in particular through an agreement between the DCA and the Danish' representative on the board.
The convention will take place at the Radisson SAS H.C. Andersen Hotel (www.radisson.com). This four-star hotel, known for its excellent cuisine and international casino, is located in the center of Odense, adjacent to the Hans Christian Andersen house.
The social program includes a welcome reaction at the city hall on Wednesday, May 12, and a reception at the Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics on Thursday. An informal Viking dinner is planned for Friday evening at Morudgard, a manor just outside Odense. You'll be welcomed by lute players, entertained by "real" Vikings, and will enjoy a traditional Viking barbecue.
The gala dinner Saturday evening will take place at the H.C. Andersen Hotel. We will enjoy an excellent three course dinner, be entertained by the Hans Christian Andersen parade, enjoy a harpist playing music by Carl Nielsen, the famous composer born in Funen, and have the opportunity to dance to the band "Kickis."
The program for accompanying persons includes a visit to Den Fynske Landsby (the Funen Village), an open-air museum depicting local country life in past centuries, faithfully reconstructed with the original buildings. The visit to the museum will be concluded by a lunch buffet at Sortebro Kro.
There is also planned a visit to Valdemars Slot at Tasinge, a unique Danish manor house museum in Denmark's largest privately owned castle. There will be a visit to Egeskov, Europe's best-preserved Renaissance castle. Egeskov also has wonderful museums with vintage cars, airplanes and motorcycles, and flourishing flower gardens -- perhaps the world's largest garden labyrinth.
DIS Congress Service will book a range of hotel accommodations. The convention secretariat can be contacted at:
DIS Congress Service Copenhagen A/S
Herlev Ringvej 2C
DK-2730 Herlev
Denmark
Tel: 45 44 92 44 92
Fax: 45 44 92 50 50
E-mail:
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