The Effect of Spinal Manipulative Therapy on Non-Specific (Mechanical) Neck Pain

The effect of cervical spinal manipulative therapy on neck pain in an adult population with non-specific neck pain.

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12614000804684

Acronym

The SMT Neck Pain Trial

Enrollment

Registered

2014-07-29

Start date

2014-08-26

Completion date

2014-09-30

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

The aim of this project is to measure the effect of cervical spinal manipulation on people with non-specific neck pain. The research question relates to whether the magnitude of force of a manipulation influences the extent of effect. The project is a single-blinded randomised controlled clinical trial with three equal groups: one control and two intervention. Sixty-three participants, between the ages of 18 and 35 years with a history of non-specific neck pain originating from the lower cervical spine will be randomly allocated to one of three groups. Group 1 (standard care) will receive a single standardized 5-minute neck stretching exercise routine plus a single manually applied manipulation of the cervical spine. Group 2 (comparison intervention) will receive the same stretching program plus a single instrument applied manipulation to the cervical spine. Group 3 (control) will only receive the stretching program. Outcome measures include changes in neck pain, cervical range of motion, hand grip-strength and blood pressure.

Interventions

Group 1: Stretching & MAM Group 2: Stretching & IAM Group 3: Stretching Group one (standard care): a series of active cervical range of motion stretches held for 30sec, repeated 3 times in six different directions for a total of 5 minutes in addition to one high-velocity, low-amplitude manually applied manipulation (MAM) administered on a single occasion to the cervical spine. Group two (comparison intervention): stretching routine as described above in addition to one instrument applied manipulation (IAM) administered on a single occasion to the cervical spine. IAM will be delivered using an Activator IV instrument which delivers a measurable force to the desired target (in this instance the lower cervical spine).

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used) (Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 35 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Non-specific neck pain originating from the lower cervical spine (C5-7).

Exclusion criteria

Contraindication to cervical spinal manipulation. Pregnancy. Pre-existing condition which may alter the effect of spinal manipulation e.g. connective tissue disorders. Neck pain which is not of mechanical origin. Neck pain that does not originate from the lower cervical spine (C5-7). Having received cervical spinal manipulation within the preceding one month. Current use of anticoagulant therapy. History of recent surgery or recent neck trauma. Facial or intra-oral anaesthesia or parasthesia. Visual disturbances, blurred vision or diplopia. Dizziness/vertigo. Nausea, tinnitus, drop attacks, dysarthria or dysphagia.

Outcome results