Dear Friends and Colleagues
The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Chiropractic Federation (EMMECF) had its annual General Meeting and Seminar at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon from June 27th to the 30th, 2012. Chiropractors present were from Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Several persons could not attend due to travel restrictions or open conflict in some countries. The main feature of this year’s meeting is that it was held together with the 5th Annual Conference of the Society for Progress and Innovation for the Near East (SPINE, www.neareastspine.com) which is the Middle East afilliate of the American Spine Society. We want extend our thanks to Dr Tannouri for his invitation to EMMECF chiropractors. The main chiropractic speakers for the joint EMMECF/SPINE program were:
• Dr. Amy Bowzaylo from Bahrain DC – two presentations, one of using chiropractors as gate keepers for orthopeadic complains to improve the efficiency and use of surgeons’ time in a hospital setting and chiropractic management of postsurgical neck pain.
• Dr. Mohamad Raslan DC, MD of the United Arab Emirates made a case presentation, on conservative management of a patient with a lumbar disc herniation.
• Dr. Tarek Adra DC of USA on conservative approaches to management of Persistent or late Neck Joint Stiness. Dr. Adra intergrades Janda’s Functional Assessment/McKenzie Method/ ART into his chiropractic practice in Los Angeles. He is a Lebanese American.
The Middle East Clinical Workshop Program for DCs only was presented by by Dr Tarek Adra on an Integrated Approach to Functional Hip/Low Back Management and Neck Shoulder Management (Assessment, Treatment and Rehab option).
This joint Meeting had high – quality presentations and was a success for everyone. Next year’s Spine Conference is once again in Beirut from June 19-22 and the EMMECF and the WFC will again provide speakers and support. The EMMECF annual meeting and seminar will be held in Bahrain in January 2013. The exact date will be announced shortly.
October 16th is World SPINE DAY. Each and every association in our region must organize activities to mark this very important day for raising awareness for musculoskeletal conditions. Finally, my sincere thanks to Dr Ayman Kanj and the Lebanese Chiropractic Association for hosting the 2nd annual conference of the EMMECF.
