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

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

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neck Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: thoracic spine manipulation

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15221
      • Chatham University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Matched Group; Receives thoracic spine manipulation in the direction of motion limitation.	Other: thoracic spine manipulation; a manual technique applied to the mid back to promote motion

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

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

Secondary Outcome Measures

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

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chatham University
• Investigators: Study Director: Steve A Karas, DSc, PT, Chatham University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: August 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 2, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 5, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): August 6, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): July 28, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 27, 2015
• Last Verified: August 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neck Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: Karasmatched

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No