Neck Pain
Conditions
Keywords
physical therapy, pain threshold, electromyography, musculoskeletal manipulation, neck muscles
Brief summary
Passive accessory cervical mobilization is widely used as a clinical approach to the management of musculoskeletal pain of spinal origin. The purpose of the study is to determine if passive cervical mobilization can improve motor function in situations where motor performance is not impaired by the presence of pain.
Detailed description
Cervical mobilization has been shown to elicit effects on pain perception, autonomic function and motor function in subjects who experience musculoskeletal pain. The improvement in motor function may be a direct effect of the treatment or secondary to a hypoalgesic effect. This study aims to demonstrate whether it is possible to alter motor function following joint mobilization, in situations where motor performance is not impaired by pain.
Interventions
OTHERPassive cervical mobilisation
Passive cervical mobilization which involved an oscillatory grade III unilateral postero-anterior mobilization applied to the left C5/C6 segment. The mobilization consisted of 3 periods of 1 minute applications with a resting period of 1 minute in between.
OTHERManual contact
Manual contact control, which involved light manual contact on the left C5/C6 segment as if to perform the treatment technique. The light manual contact consisted of 3 periods of 1 minute applications with a resting period of 1 minute in between.
Sponsors
Curtin University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 55 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* No history of neck or back pain over the last six months * Without any previous experience with spinal manual therapy techniques
Exclusion criteria
* History of musculoskeletal or rheumatologic conditions * Any kind of spinal surgery * Dizziness * Previous trauma to the cervical spine * Neurological signs or symptoms
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Electromyography of sternocleidomastoid muscle. | Pre intervention (baseline) and 1 minute post intervention | Measurement of sternocleidomastoid muscle activation during deep neck flexion. The degree of neck flexion is determined by a pressure biofeedback unit place underneath the neck. EMG of the left and right sternocleidomastoids are recorded for 5seconds at each level of neck flexion |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure pain threshold | Pre intervention (baseline) and 1 minute post intervention | The algometer to measure pressure pain threshold was applied at a constant rate of 40 kPa/sec on the posterior aspect of the left and right articular pillar of C5/C6. |
Outcome results
None listed