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Spinal Manipulation

Spinal Pain in Adolescents

By |February 2, 2015|Pediatrics, Spinal Joint Pain, Spinal Manipulation|

Spinal Pain in Adolescents: Prevalence, Incidence, and Course: A School-based Two-year Prospective Cohort Study in 1,300 Danes Aged 11-13

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SOURCE:   BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014 (May 29);   15:   187 ~ FULL TEXT


Ellen Aartun, Jan Hartvigsen, Niels Wedderkopp, and Lise Hestbaek

Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics,
University of Southern Denmark,
Odense, Denmark


BACKGROUND:   The severity and course of spinal pain is poorly understood in adolescents. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and two-year incidence, as well as the course, frequency, and intensity of pain in the neck, mid back, and low back (spinal pain).

METHODS:   This study was a school-based prospective cohort study. All 5th and 6th grade students (11-13 years) at 14 schools in the Region of Southern Denmark were invited to participate (N=1,348). Data were collected in 2010 and again two years later, using an e-survey completed during school time.

RESULTS:   The lifetime prevalence of spinal pain was 86% and 89% at baseline and follow-up, respectively. A group of 13.6% (95% CI: 11.8, 15.6) at baseline and 19.5% (95% CI: 17.1, 22.0) at follow-up reported that they had pain frequently. The frequency of pain was strongly associated with the intensity of pain, i.e., the majority of the participants reported their pain as relatively infrequent and of low intensity, whereas the participants with frequent pain also experienced pain of higher intensity. The two-year incidence of spinal pain varied between 40% and 60% across the physical locations. Progression of pain from one to more locations and from infrequent to more frequent was common over the two-year period.

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Manual Therapy Followed by Specific Active Exercises Versus a Placebo Followed by Specific Active Exercises

By |January 31, 2015|exercise, Spinal Manipulation|

Manual Therapy Followed by Specific Active Exercises Versus a Placebo Followed by Specific Active Exercises on the Improvement of Functional Disability in Patients with Chronic Non Specific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2012 (Aug 28);   13:   162


Pierre Balthazard, Pierre de Goumoens, Gilles Rivier,
Philippe Demeulenaere, Pierluigi Ballabeni, and Olivier Dériaz

Physiotherapy Department,
HES-SO University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland-HESAV,
Avenue de Beaumont,
Lausanne 1011, Switzerland.
pbalthaz@hecvsante.ch


BACKGROUND:   Recent clinical recommendations still propose active exercises (AE) for CNSLBP. However, acceptance of exercises by patients may be limited by pain-related manifestations. Current evidences suggest that manual therapy (MT) induces an immediate analgesic effect through neurophysiologic mechanisms at peripheral, spinal and cortical levels. The aim of this pilot study was first, to assess whether MT has an immediate analgesic effect, and second, to compare the lasting effect on functional disability of MT plus AE to sham therapy (ST) plus AE.

METHODS:   Forty-two CNSLBP patients without co-morbidities, randomly distributed into 2 treatment groups, received either spinal manipulation/mobilization (first intervention) plus AE (MT group; n = 22), or detuned ultrasound (first intervention) plus AE (ST group; n = 20). Eight therapeutic sessions were delivered over 4 to 8 weeks. Immediate analgesic effect was obtained by measuring pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale) before and immediately after the first intervention of each therapeutic session. Pain intensity, disability (Oswestry Disability Index), fear-avoidance beliefs (Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire), erector spinae and abdominal muscles endurance (Sorensen and Shirado tests) were assessed before treatment, after the 8th therapeutic session, and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.

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Tissue Damage Markers After a Spinal Manipulation in Healthy Subjects

By |January 29, 2015|Safety, Spinal Manipulation|

Tissue Damage Markers After a Spinal Manipulation in Healthy Subjects: A Preliminary Report of a Randomized Controlled Trial

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SOURCE:   Dis Markers. 2014; 2014 :815379


A. Achalandabaso, G. Plaza-Manzano, R. Lomas-Vega, A. Martínez-Amat,
M. V. Camacho, M. Gassó, F. Hita-Contreras, and F. Molina

Centro de Fisioterapia y Psicología Soluciona,
18002 Granada, Spain.


Spinal manipulation (SM) is a manual therapy technique frequently applied to treat musculoskeletal disorders because of its analgesic effects. It is defined by a manual procedure involving a directed impulse to move a joint past its physiologic range of movement (ROM). In this sense, to exceed the physiologic ROM of a joint could trigger tissue damage, which might represent an adverse effect associated with spinal manipulation. The present work tries to explore the presence of tissue damage associated with SM through the damage markers analysis. Thirty healthy subjects recruited at the University of Jaén were submitted to a placebo SM (control group; n = 10), a single lower cervical manipulation (cervical group; n = 10), and a thoracic manipulation (n = 10). Before the intervention, blood samples were extracted and centrifuged to obtain plasma and serum. The procedure was repeated right after the intervention and two hours after the intervention.

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Review Of Methods Used By Chiropractors To Determine The Site For Applying Manipulation

By |July 13, 2014|Chiropractic Care, Spinal Manipulation|

Review Of Methods Used By Chiropractors To Determine The Site For Applying Manipulation

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SOURCE:   Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2013 (Oct 21); 21 (1): 36


John J Triano, Brian Budgell, Angela Bagnulo,
Benjamin Roffey, Thomas Bergmann, Robert Cooperstein,
Brian Gleberzon, Christopher Good, Jacquelyn Perron
and Rodger Tepe

Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College,
6100 Leslie St,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
jtriano@cmcc.ca


BACKGROUND:   With the development of increasing evidence for the use of manipulation in the management of musculoskeletal conditions, there is growing interest in identifying the appropriate indications for care. Recently, attempts have been made to develop clinical prediction rules, however the validity of these clinical prediction rules remains unclear and their impact on care delivery has yet to be established. The current study was designed to evaluate the literature on the validity and reliability of the more common methods used by doctors of chiropractic to inform the choice of the site at which to apply spinal manipulation.

METHODS:   Structured searches were conducted in Medline, PubMed, CINAHL and ICL, supported by hand searches of archives, to identify studies of the diagnostic reliability and validity of common methods used to identify the site of treatment application. To be included, studies were to present original data from studies of human subjects and be designed to address the region or location of care delivery. Only English language manuscripts from peer-reviewed journals were included. The quality of evidence was ranked using QUADAS for validity and QAREL for reliability, as appropriate. Data were extracted and synthesized, and were evaluated in terms of strength of evidence and the degree to which the evidence was favourable for clinical use of the method under investigation.

RESULTS:   A total of 2594 titles were screened from which 201 articles met all inclusion criteria. The spectrum of manuscript quality was quite broad, as was the degree to which the evidence favoured clinical application of the diagnostic methods reviewed. The most convincing favourable evidence was for methods which confirmed or provoked pain at a specific spinal segmental level or region. There was also high quality evidence supporting the use, with limitations, of static and motion palpation, and measures of leg length inequality. Evidence of mixed quality supported the use, with limitations, of postural evaluation. The evidence was unclear on the applicability of measures of stiffness and the use of spinal x-rays. The evidence was of mixed quality, but unfavourable for the use of manual muscle testing, skin conductance, surface electromyography and skin temperature measurement.

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Spinal Manipulation Epidemiology: Systematic Review of Cost Effectiveness Studies

By |February 7, 2014|Cost-Effectiveness, Epidemiology, Spinal Manipulation|

Spinal Manipulation Epidemiology: Systematic Review of Cost Effectiveness Studies

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2012 (Oct); 22 (5): 655–662 ~ FULL TEXT


Michaleff ZA, Lin CW, Maher CG, van Tulder MW.

The George Institute for Global Health, The University of Sydney, Missenden Road, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia. zmichaleff@georgeinstitute.org.au


BACKGROUND:   Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is frequently used by health professionals to manage spinal pain. With many treatments having comparable outcomes to SMT, determining the cost-effectiveness of these treatments has been identified as a high research priority.

OBJECTIVE:   To investigate the cost-effectiveness of SMT compared to other treatment options for people with spinal pain of any duration.

METHODS:   We searched eight clinical and economic databases and the reference lists of relevant systematic reviews. Full economic evaluations conducted alongside randomised controlled trials with at least one SMT arm were eligible for inclusion. Two authors independently screened search results, extracted data and assessed risk of bias using the CHEC-list.

RESULTS:   Six cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis were included. All included studies had a low risk of bias scoring =16/19 on the CHEC-List. SMT was found to be a cost-effective treatment to manage neck and back pain when used alone or in combination with other techniques compared to general practitioner (GP = MD) care, exercise and physiotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS:   This review supports the use of SMT in clinical practice as a cost-effective treatment when used alone or in combination with other treatment approaches. However, as this conclusion is primarily based on single studies more high quality research is needed to identify whether these findings are applicable in other settings.


 

From the Full-Text Article:

Introduction

Spinal pain, including neck pain and back pain, is a common condition in modern society (Woolf and Pfleger, 2003;   Côté et al., 2003 ). It presents major social and economic burdens due to the high levels of chronicity and resultant long term disability which are associated with high costs in health care and losses of productivity (e.g. sick leave) (Woolf and Pfleger, 2003). While existing practice guidelines inform the individual, clinicians and policy makers on the effectiveness of a range of interventions, few provide information on the cost-effectiveness of treatments. It is arguable that cost-effectiveness of treatment is an equally important consideration as effectiveness, as all health administrators need to make decisions about how they allocate scarce health resources.

Economic evaluations are frequently conducted alongside randomised controlled trials of treatment effectiveness and involve the identification, measurement, valuation and then comparison of the costs and consequences (benefits) of two or more alternatives (Drummond et al., 2005). Economic evaluations are most useful when the treatments under question have been evaluated in terms of efficacy (can the treatment work in those who comply with the recommendations), effectiveness (is the treatment acceptable and does the treatment work in those who the treatment is offered) and availability (is the treatment accessible to all who would benefit from it). The result of an economic evaluation supplements the evidence base on treatment effectiveness by providing information on the efficiency or “value for money ” of treatment alternatives (Drummond et al., 2005). This information can be used to inform consumers, insurers, governments and policy makers where the health budget should be spent.

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Changes in Vertebral Artery Blood Flow Following Various Head Positions and Cervical Spine Manipulation

By |January 25, 2014|Spinal Manipulation, Stroke, Vertebral Artery|

Changes in Vertebral Artery Blood Flow Following Various Head Positions and Cervical Spine Manipulation

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2014 (Jan);   37 (1):   22–31


Jairus J. Quesnele, DC, John J. Triano, DC, PhD,
Michael D. Noseworthy, PhD, Greg D. Wells, PhD

Chiropractor, Private Practice,
Division of Graduate Studies, Clinical Sciences,
Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada


OBJECTIVE:   The objective of the study was to investigate the cerebrovascular hemodynamic response of cervical spine positions including rotation and cervical spine manipulation in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging technology on the vertebral artery (VA).

METHODS:   This pilot study was conducted as a blinded examiner cohort with 4 randomized clinical tasks. Ten healthy male participants aged 24 to 30 years (mean, 26.8 years) volunteered to participate in the study. None of the participants had a history of disabling neck, arm, or headache pain within the last 6 months. They did not have any current or history of neurologic symptoms. In a neutral head position, physiologic measures of VA blood flow and velocity at the C1-2 spinal level were obtained using phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging after 3 different head positions and a chiropractic upper cervical spinal manipulation. A total of 30 flow-encoded phase-contrast images were collected over the cardiac cycle, in each of the 4 conditions, and were used to provide a blood flow profile for one complete cardiac cycle. Differences between flow (in milliliters per second) and velocity (in centimeters per second) variables were evaluated using repeated-measures analysis of variance.

RESULTS:   The side-to-side difference between ipsilateral and contralateral VA velocities was not significant for either velocities (P = .14) or flows (P = .19) throughout the conditions. There were no other interactions or trends toward a difference for any of the other blood flow or velocity variables.

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