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Short-Term Effects of Combined Manual Therapy to the Cervical and Thoracic Spine

Short-Term Combined Effects of Thoracic Spine Thrust Manipulation and Cervical Spine Non-Thrust Manipulation in Patients With Mechanical Neck Pain: A RCT

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01318720
Enrollment
64
Registered
2011-03-18
Start date
2009-11-30
Completion date
2012-06-30
Last updated
2015-04-07

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

Conditions

Neck Pain

Keywords

Neck Pain, Thrust Manipulation, Non-Thrust Manipulation

Brief summary

Neck pain continues to be a prevalent condition in our society. Manual therapy (hands on techniques for the treatment of neck pain is an intervention commonly implemented in clinical practice. Recently researchers and clinicians have implemented manual therapy techniques to the thoracic spine (midback) to treat patients with neck pain. To date no studies have examined the short-term combined effects of thoracic spine manual therapy and cervical spine manual therapy in the treatment of patients with mechanical neck pain. The purpose this study is to assess the combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation with cervical spine non-thrust manipulation in patients with neck pain.

Interventions

OTHERManual Therapy

Thrust manipulation is a type of manual therapy that clinicians apply using a high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust directed at a joint(s)

Sponsors

Masefield and Cavallaro Physical Therapy
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Neck pain of less than 3 months * No symptoms below the shoulder * Baseline Neck Disability Index score of 10 or greater

Exclusion criteria

* Red flags noted in the patient's Medical Screening Questionnaire (i.e. tumor, fracture, metabolic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, prolonged use of steroid, etc) * History of whiplash injury within the past two months * Diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis * Uni-lateral or bi-lateral upper extremity radicular symptoms * Evidence of central nervous system involvement * Two or more positive neurological signs consistent with nerve root involvement: myotomal muscle weakness, dermatomal sensory loss, diminished or absent reflexes * Prior surgery to the neck or thoracic spine * Pending legal action regarding their neck pain, or patients with no fault or workers compensation claims * Insufficient English language skills to complete the questionnaires * Inability to comply with treatment and follow-up schedule * Women who may be pregnant

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Neck Disability Index (NDI)Short-term outcome 1 weekNeck Disability Index (NDI) is a disease-specific outcome measure specifically used in patients with neck pain. The NDI has been shown to be reliable and valid in individuals with mechanical neck pain.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Global Rating of Change (GROC)Short-term outcome 1 weekThe Global Rating of Change is a outcome measure used to assess patient perceived recovery following interventions.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026