The Effects of Cervical and Thoracic Manipulation Therapy Applied to Weightlifting Athletes

September 19, 2024 updated by: Mehmet Kaan ALTUNOK, Selcuk University

The effects of manipulation therapy on the autonomic nervous system have been examined in the literature and while no sympathetic or parasympathetic changes were found after upper thoracic manipulation, a decrease in sympathetic data was observed after lower thoracic manipulation and an increase in parasympathetic data was observed. On the other hand, a different study found that thoracic manipulation did not cause any changes such as an increase or decrease in the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, although there are uncertainties in the autonomic role of manipulation therapy, its effect on respiration is intriguing when positive studies are considered.

In a study aiming to evaluate the effect of thoracic manipulation on respiratory function, segmental manipulation treatment was applied to healthy individuals by detecting the vertebrae in the thoracic region where normal joint movements were lost, and it was determined that the respiratory functions of the manipulation group improved significantly compared to the group that did not receive treatment. In another study conducted on healthy individuals, the subjects were divided into manipulation group, exercise and manipulation group and control groups. At the end of the study, it was determined that there was a significant increase in the respiratory functions of the participants in the manipulation group, while an additional increase was observed in the group combined with exercise, but this was not significant. No change was observed in the control group.

When the literature is examined, it is noteworthy that the effects of manipulation treatments on respiration remain unclear, and especially the inadequacy of studies on Olympic-style weightlifters and the ongoing search for increasing athletic performance in this area.

This study aims to examine the effects of cervical and thoracic manipulation treatments on respiratory muscle strength, respiratory functions and cervical and thoracic region joint range of motion in weightlifters.

The main question it aims to answer is:

- Is cervical and thoracic manipulation therapy applied to Olympic style weightlifters effective on respiration?

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Our study is planned as a prospective, randomized controlled, single-blind experimental study. A total of 40 female and male elite and non-elite weightlifters between the ages of 13-35 will be evaluated for our study.

The minimum sample size of the study was found to be at least 40 people, with at least 20 people in each group, with 90% power at a 95% confidence interval.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Turkey
    • Selcuklu
      • Konya, Selcuklu, Turkey, 42130
        • Selcuk University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being a weightlifter,
  • Having asymptomatic dysfunction in the cervical and thoracic spine,
  • Not having received any manipulative treatment in the last six months,
  • Individuals who do not have a condition that prevents chiropractic manipulation treatment will be included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having had an injury related to the musculoskeletal system in the upper and lower extremities in the last month,
  • Having any neurological and psychiatric disorders,
  • Having cervical disc herniations,
  • Having a disorder related to the cardiac and respiratory systems,
  • Having an infectious, rheumatological, metabolic and endocrinological disorder,
  • Having dislocation, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, discopathy, rheumatoid arthritis,
  • Taking anticoagulant treatment,
  • Individuals who have recently undergone an operation involving the cervical and thoracic regions will not be included in the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group
20 people will be included in the control group. A total of two measurements will be taken, one at the beginning and one at the end of the study. Respiratory muscle strength, respiratory function, and cervical and thoracic joint range of motion will be evaluated in the measurements. The control group will continue their normal weightlifting training throughout the study.
Experimental: Spinal Manipulation Group
20 people will be included in the Spinal Manipulation Therapy (SMT) group. This group will continue their normal weightlifting training during the study and in addition to the weightlifting training, they will receive a total of three sessions of cervical and thoracic manipulation therapy once a week for three weeks. A total of two measurements will be taken at the beginning and end of the study. Respiratory muscle strength, respiratory function and cervical and thoracic joint range of motion will be evaluated in the measurements.
Other: Spinal Manipulation
For the treatment to be applied in the SMT group, segmental dysfunctions will be determined using static and dynamic palpation techniques and the applications will be applied with a chiropractic method, high-speed, low-amplitude spinal manipulation method, at the level of the dysfunctional spine.
Other Names:
  • Chiropractic Manipulation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Respiratory muscle strength
Time Frame: 3 weeks
In our study, the respiratory muscle strength of the participants will be measured and recorded as maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) with the help of a portable device that can measure intraoral pressure electronically, which is a non-invasive method. The nose of the participant who makes maximal expiration in the sitting position will be closed with a valve and the MIP measurement will be completed by asking for maximal inspiration for 1-3 seconds and the measurements will be recorded. The nose of the participant who makes maximal inspiration in the sitting position will be closed with a valve and the MEP measurement will be completed by asking for maximal expiration for 1-3 seconds and the measurements will be recorded. The highest of the three best results among at least five measurements with no more than 10% difference between them will be recorded as the final data.
3 weeks
Respiratory function test
Time Frame: 3 weeks
Respiratory functions will be assessed with a portable spirometer with the patient in a sitting position according to the criteria determined by the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society. Spirometry measures multiple parameters during a single test. The test will be repeated three times. Participants will be asked to perform a single forced expiration followed by a single inspiration during normal breathing, and with this single measurement; forced expiratory volume in the first second of the respiratory function test (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity ratio (FEV₁/FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) and forced expiratory midflow rate (FEF%25-75) and the highest and percentages of the expected vital capacity (VC) values after three consecutive tests will be obtained. These results obtained with a single breathing test will be recorded as the highest and percentages of the expected values.
3 weeks
Range of Motion of Cervical and Thoracic Regions
Time Frame: 3 weeks
A gravity-dependent inclinometer and Spinal Mouse, which have been proven to be reliable in studies, will be used for measurements. Joint motion of the cervical and thoracic regions will be evaluated with the Lafayette brand Acumar Digital Dual Inclinometer and Spinal Mouse.
3 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Selcuk University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

October 4, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 18, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 9, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 19, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

September 23, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 23, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 19, 2024

Last Verified

September 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SelcukU_PT_WeightliftingMnp.1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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