Musculoskeletal Diseases
Conditions
Interventions
Upper cervical spine manipulation
Placebo
Control
Sponsors
Durban University of Technology National Research Foundation
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: • All participants must be between 18 and 50 years of age. A study by Nilsson (1995) used participants between the ages of 20-60 years. The age criterion concerning this study has been lowered to account for people over the age of 50 being more reliant on pain medication. According to Biondi (2005), the mean age for individuals’ presenting with CGH is 42,9 years of age. • Diagnostic criteria for CGH has been established, with authors’ such as Biondi (2005); Becker (2010); Page (2011); Chaibi et al. (2015), agreeing that CGH arise from dysfunction of the upper cervical spine and neck musculature. • Participants must have a minimum of three diagnostic criteria (listed below) in order to qualify for the study (Sjaastad and Fredriksen 2000). Participant diagnostic criteria will be evaluated by the researcher and clinician on duty. ? Unilateral headache without side shift. ? Precipitation of headache by neck movement, sustained awkward head positioning or by external pressure on the upper cervical or occipital area on the symptomatic side ? Restricted range of motion in the upper cervical spine. ? Ipsilateral non-radicular neck, shoulder and arm pain. ? Upper cervical spine facet fixation.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: • Contraindications to CSM determined during the case history, physical examination and cervical regional examination. Examples include: • Vertebral-basilar artery insuffiency. • Atherosclerosis of major vessels. • Metabolic disorders such as osteoporosis, osteomalacia and clotting disorders. • Tumours(lung, thyroid, breast and bone). • Bone infections( Osteomyelitis, tuberculosis) • Trauma(Instability, fractures, severe sprains and strains). • Arthritis( Any arthrtide ). • Neurological complications. • Allergic to the adhesive surface of the EMG electrodes. • Those with primary headaches e.g migraines • Participants who are not willing to have the back of their neck shaved. • Participants currently receiving any physical manipulative treatment for their headache.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The aim of this study is to determine the effect of upper CSM (the independent variable), compared to a placebo and a control, on the following dependant variables: •Subjective measures: -pain -disability -headache intensity, duration and frequency | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The aim of this study is to determine the effect of upper CSM (the independent variable), compared to a placebo and a control, on the following dependant variables: • Objective measures: - Muscle activity and maximum voluntary contraction of selected muscles of the cervical spine (the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and posterior cervical muscles) in participants with CGH. | — |
Countries
South Africa
Contacts
Public ContactLavisha Deonarian
Senior Lecturer
Outcome results
None listed