Journal
JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC & SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY
Volume 44, Issue 3, Pages 141-152Publisher
J O S P T
DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2014.4778
Keywords
biomechanics; cervical vertebrae; manual therapy; musculoskeletal manipulations; neck
Categories
Funding
- Physiotherapy Research Foundation of the Australian Physiotherapy Association
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
Ask authors/readers for more resources
STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To determine if force magnitude during posterior-to-anterior mobilization affects immediate and short-term outcomes in patients with chronic, nonspecific neck pain. BACKGROUND: The optimal dose of mobilization to effectively treat patients with neck pain is not known. METHODS: Patients with neck pain of at least 3 months in duration (n = 64) were randomized to receive a single treatment of posterior-to-anterior mobilization applied with 30 N or 90 N of mean peak force (3 sets of 30 seconds) or a placebo (detuned laser) on the spinous process at the painful spinal level. Pressure pain threshold, pain measured with a visual analog scale (range, 0-100 mm), cervical range of motion, and spinal stiffness at the painful spinal level (measured with a custom device and normalized as a percentage of C7 stiffness) were assessed before, immediately after, and at a mean +/- SD follow-up of 4.0 +/- 1.8 days following treatment. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance and Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc tests determined group differences for each outcome measure after treatment and at follow-up. CONCLUSION: A specific dose of mobilization, in terms of applied force, appears necessary for reducing stiffness and potentially pain in patients with chronic neck pain. Changes were not observed immediately after mobilization, suggesting that its effects are not directly mechanical. Trial registration: Australian and New Zealand
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available