The Effect of Directional Specific Thoracic Spine Mobilization on Cervical Spine Pain

The Effect of Directional Specific Thoracic Spine Mobilization on Cervial Spine Pain.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01917071

Enrollment

Registered

2013-08-06

Start date

2013-08-31

Completion date

2015-01-31

Last updated

2015-07-28

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

Conditions

Neck Pain

Brief summary

Hypothesis: There is no difference in directional specific manipulation of the thoracic spine for patients with neck pain. Patients seeking physical therapy for neck pain routinely have their thoracic spine manipulated. This study seeks to determine if directional limitations in the spine can be specifically determined and treated to decrease neck pain.

Detailed description

Manipulation of the thoracic spine is the most commonly used manual therapy intervention by manual therapists. It is not known whether we can accurately assess and treat directional limitations in the thoracic spine to improve neck pain. One way is to assess where the limitation is and treat it. Another method is to distract the joint. We want to know if matching the limitation to the manipulation method will give patients with neck pain better results. The patient lays on their back. The therapist places a hand on the inferior vertebrae of the motion segment. The patient relaxes and the therapist pushes in an anterior to posterior direction either moving the vertebrae into flexion or entension.

Interventions

OTHERthoracic spine manipulation

a manual technique applied to the mid back to promote motion

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 60 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with Neck Pain; ages 18 - 60

Exclusion criteria

* red flags: leg weakness, night pain, history of cancer, upper motor neuron signs, infection, tumors, osteoporosis, fracture (Boissonnault, 2011) (Cleland, 2004) history of whiplash within 6 weeks, cervical stenosis, CNS involvement, signs consistent with nerve root compression, previous surgery, pending legal action

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Neck Disability Index	2 weeks	Objective, valid, reliable measure of function in patients with neck pain. Completed as a survey.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Neck Pain	2 weeks	Selection of 0 to 10 level of pain.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

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