None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Over the past ten years a growing body of evidence has accumulated that suggests neural plastic changes occur following chiropractic adjustments (for recent review see Haavik & Murphy, 2012). Recently we presented the findings from eight subjects that demonstrated that a full spine chiropractic adjustment session resulted in an increase in the subjects’ ability to maximally voluntarily contract their lower limb muscle by almost 73%. (Niazi et al. 2013) There was also a 50% increase in cortical drive and a shift in the H reflex curve. These exciting findings were not observed following the control intervention and are similar to those reported in a study that investigated the effects of three weeks of strength training (VilaCha, Falla, Correia, & Farina, 2012). In this study we plan to expand on these findings by investigating the effects of six weeks of chiropractic care on H and V waves. We will randomly allocate 32 subjects to one of two groups in a basic science parallel group randomised controlled trial. The experimental group will receive chiropractic care 2-3 times per week (at the discretion of the chiropractor providing care) for six weeks. The control group will receive six weeks of no care. During the assessment sessions the control group will receive a passive movement intervention to act as a physiological control for the chiropractic adjustments that will be provided during the assessment sessions when they are receiving the experimental intervention. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, and weeks one, three, and six. Data will be recorded over a 24 hour period following an adjustment session. Data will be collected by a bioengineering research assistant according to established protocols (VilaCha et al., 2012). Coded data will be analysed according to established protocols (Rosner, 2012) by an independent data analyst blinded to group allocation
Interventions
Full spine adjustments will be carried out during the experimental sessions. The entire spine and sacroiliac joints will be assessed for vertebral subluxations and adjusted where deemed necessary by a registered chiropractor with at least ten years clinical experience. The vertebral subluxation indicators that will be used to assess the function of the spine prior to and after each spinal adjustment intervention include assessing for tenderness to palpation of the relevant joints, manually palpa
Full spine adjustments will be carried out during the experimental sessions. The entire spine and sacroiliac joints will be assessed for vertebral subluxations and adjusted where deemed necessary by a registered chiropractor with at least ten years clinical experience. The vertebral subluxation indicators that will be used to assess the function of the spine prior to and after each spinal adjustment intervention include assessing for tenderness to palpation of the relevant joints, manually palpating for restricted intersegmental range of motion, assessing for palpable asymmetric intervertebral muscle tension, and any abnormal or blocked joint play and end-feel of the joints. All of these biomechanical characteristics are known clinical indicators of spinal dysfunction (Fryer, Morris, & Gibbons, 2004; Hestboek & Leboeuf-Yde, 2000). These findings will be documented prior to and after each spinal adjustment intervention. The improvements in segmental function following spinal adjustments will also be recorded for each subject. Subjects will attend 2-3 adjustment sessions a week for 6 weeks with each session lasting 10 minutes on average. The adjustment schedule will be determined by the chiropractor who is providing care to the participant.
Sponsors
NewZealand College of chiropractic
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Subjects will be eligible for inclusion if they are English speaking, aged 18-40,and have previously sought chiropractic care, and have some history of recurring spinal dysfunction such as mild pain, ache, and/or stiffness with or without a history of known trauma.
Exclusion criteria
Subjects will be ineligible to participate if they exhibit no evidence of vertebral subluxations, have absolute contraindications to spinal adjustments, have experienced previous significant adverse reactions to chiropractic care, or they are suffering from a current lower limb disorder/dysfunction that would make them unable to carry out data recording sessions (e.g. sprain/strain/fracture),and if they have sought treatment for the subclinical pain symptoms.
Outcome results
None listed