Neck Pain, Headache
Conditions
Keywords
Manipulation, Balance, Proprioception
Brief summary
Cervical spine manipulation (CSM) is utilized by many health care practitioners in the management of patients with neck pain and headache. How CSM works is not understood however, most researchers agree that there is likely a combination of mechanical, neurophysiological and placebo effects. This study will test for possible neurophysiological effects by examining for changes in a person's ability to reposition their head and neck in space, and maintain their balance following CSM.
Detailed description
Consenting participants will have their proprioception tested through a joint repositioning error test for their cervical spine, and also have their balance tested through a Neurocom Balancemaster. Following these pre-intervention measures, they will receive in a random order, either a cervical spine manipulation (CSM) or a sham manipulation, and then have tests repeated to analyze for changes and differences between interventions.
Interventions
Sponsors
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 60
Exclusion criteria
* current neck pain/symptoms; neck pain symptoms within the last 6 months; confirmation or possibility of pregnancy; dizziness; vertigo, or nausea; history of cervical spine surgery; rheumatoid arthritis; osteoporosis; osteopenia; ankylosing spondylitis; cancer; or vertebral artery insufficiency.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cervical joint proprioception | 1 day (Immediately after the intervention) | Subjects wear a headband with a mounted laser pointer and sit 1 meter away from a wall. They assume their comfortable neutral cervical posture and then close their eyes and extend their cervical spine and return to their neutral posture with eyes closed. The laser pointer marks the point of return and we measure the difference between start and end points for error. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SMART Neurocom Balance Master | 1 day (Immediately after the intervention) | Subjects stand on a force plate on a SMART Neurocom Balance Master and complete a Sensory Organization Test (SOT) program which assesses somatosensory, visual and vestobular systems used in maintaining balance. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed