Dr. Haldeman's reservations included the small sample size, age and asymptomatic status of the subjects used in this study. Notably, Dr. Haldeman cautioned that the EMG responses measured by Herzog et al. have yet to show clinical significance. However, the researchers' work makes no contention of direct evidence of benefit. Moreover, the DC article serves as an injustice to the work of the researchers.
Good science is based upon a sequence of methods to test hypotheses.
Of interest, the authors also found EMG responses remotely distant from the treatment area. EMG responses were also noted in the gluteus maximus following lower thoracic, lumbar and sacroiliac joint SMTs. Because this study was conducted on 10 asymptomatic subjects without any clinical outcome examined, such questions cannot be answered at this time. 2 More discussion in this regard and the clinical significance of our findings are provided in our manuscript. Another point of contention regarding the DC article lies in a quote attributed to Dr. Herzog.