Immediate Effects of Upper Thoracic Manipulation on Skin Surface Temperature of T3 Vertebral Region and Biceps Brachii Muscle

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01872676

Enrollment

Registered

2013-06-07

Start date

2011-01-31

Completion date

2012-12-31

Last updated

2013-06-07

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

Conditions

Myofascial Dysfunction

Keywords

Thermography, Skin Temperature, Manipulation, Spinal, Physical Therapy Modalities

Brief summary

The aim of the present study was to assess the immediate effects of upper thoracic manipulation on skin surface temperature in the region of the T3 vertebra and biceps brachii muscle in healthy women. It is a randomized controlled blind study. Twenty-six healthy women of the university community were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 13) and a placebo group (n = 13). A single session of the upper thoracic spine manipulation (segment T3)was performed. Infrared thermography was used to determine changes in skin surface temperature in the region of T3 and the biceps brachii muscle, which would indirectly reflect sympathetic activity. Images were taken prior to manipulation, immediately after and both five and 10 minutes after manipulation. Repeated measures ANOVA with the post hoc Bonferroni test and the independent samples t-test were used for the intragroup and intergroup comparisons, respectively, with the level of significance set to 5%.

Interventions

OTHERSpine manipulation

OTHERManipulation sham

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

18 Years to 30 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy women * 18 and 30 years of age

Exclusion criteria

* use of vasoactive medication * body mass index greater than 25 kg/m2 * having undergone spinal manipulation in previous month * and any red flag sign, such as malignant tumor, inflammatory or infectious disease that contraindicated manual therapy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Skin temperature	1 years	Infrared thermography was used to determine changes in skin surface temperature in the region of T3 and the biceps brachii muscle, which would indirectly reflect sympathetic activity. Images were taken prior to manipulation, immediately after and both five and 10 minutes after manipulation.

Countries

Brazil

Outcome results

None listed

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