Validation of the Magnesium Muscle Stretch Test

A convenience sample of 40 patients, ages 18-75. is to be selected from those attending the services of Dr. William Maykel at his office in Auburn, Massachusetts. Consenting patients are be given an informed consent form approved by a contract institutional review board (PearlIRB), which they are to sign and return indicating that they fully understand the scope and logistics of the proposed research with the right to withdraw at any time without reprisals. Research subjects will undergo the manual muscle stretch test administered by Dr. William Maykel. Specifically, the stretch test is performed as follows:

• The patient is seated. The right anterior serratus muscle is tested. The doctor asks the patient to hold the right arm straight out at a 90 degree angle with the thumb pointed toward the ceiling.
• The muscle test is 5/5.
• The patient is instructed to raise his or her arm straight up to the ceiling, stretching the anterior serratus muscle. The arm is then brought back to the original test position at a 90 degree angle with the thumb up.
• The muscle is then retested. If it is now 3/5, this represents a positive magnesium stretch test.
• The procedure is repeated on one or two other muscles to solidify the diagnostic presence of insufficient magnesium.

Immediately afterward, the patient's blood is drawn by a licensed phlebotomist with samples submitted to LabCorp to determine red blood cell magnesium contents (and other trace metals for future investigations).

Results of the muscle test (inhibited or facilitated) are to be paired with the respective blood magnesium levels and shared with each participant. They will be coded to protect the patient's identity identity and submitted to an experienced statistician for correlation, the results either supporting or refuting the hypothesis which stated that the muscle stretch test is a rapid, inexpensive, and readily available screening test for magnesium deficiency. Correlation will be a binary process, based upon (i) normal or deficient levels of magnesium based upon the muscle testing, and (ii) normal blood cell ranges of magnesium established by the reference laboratory. The identity of patients will be known only to the research staff and kept within a locked file in Dr. Maykel's office for 5 years before being discarded. It will not be shared in any presentations or publications of research results.

Inclusion criteria

• Able to read, speak, and understand English

Exclusion criteria

• Disability Cognitive impairments History of bleeding disorder Known arterial aneurysm Current pregnancy Involvement in healthcare litigation