AzTrials
AzTrials

Pain ThresholdNCT02828501

Additive Effects of Combined Spinal Manipulations on Pain Pressure Threshold

A study testing Spinal Manipulation in people with Pain Threshold, run by University of South Carolina.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Physical therapists frequently use spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) to treat spinal pain. However, the methods by which SMT exerts its effects are not well understood. The aim of this study is to assess potential changes in pain pressure threshold following both a cervical and lumbar spine manipulation in a single… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Pain Threshold
What is being tested?
Spinal Manipulation
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
57 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Mar 2015to Feb 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 60 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • To be included in this study, consenting male and female participants must be between the ages of 18 and 60. This age range insures skeletal maturity with a reasonably low prevalence of severe osteoarthritis or osteopenia.

Who cannot join

  • The presence of any of the following factors will exclude the participant from this study:
  • Currently involved in a worker's compensation claim or in personal injury litigation.
  • Currently on, or applying for, permanent or temporary disability due to a medical or mental health condition.
  • Currently taking prescription analgesics.
  • Activity-limiting pain arising from any site other than listed in the specific entry criteria.
  • Additional exclusion criteria include the presence of any of the following conditions as determined by prior medical and/or radiographic examination or initial MRI:
Show all 26Show fewer
  • pregnancy or have been pregnant in the last year;
  • spinal osteoporosis or osteopenia;
  • inflammatory joint disease;
  • an infection involving the spine;
  • severe arthritis;
  • any current (within 5 years) neoplastic condition;
  • any history of vertebral fracture with current bony instability or measurable deformity;
  • severe lumbar stenosis (defined as an A-P diameter of the thecal sac of less than 5 mm at any level, from mid-sagittal lumbar T2-weighted MRI);
  • diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis
  • any abnormalities or compression of the spinal cord, cauda equine, or spinal nerves;
  • any upper or lower extremity nerve impairment;
  • unstable angina, congestive heart failure, orthopnea, or severe hypertension;
  • any history of a surgical procedure to the cervical or thoracic or lumbar spine;
  • any surgical procedures to the abdomen, thorax, upper extremities, head or neck in the past 6 months prior to enrollment in the study;
  • history of whiplash in the last 6 weeks;
  • evidence of central nervous system involvement, to include hyperreflexia, sensory disturbances, unsteadiness during walking, nystagmus, loss of visual acuity, impaired sensation of the face, altered taste, the presence of pathological reflexes (i.e. positive Hoffman's and/or Babinski reflexes), etc.;
  • resting blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg at initial intake;
  • presence of any of the following atherosclerotic risk factors: hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, peripheral vascular disease, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, or hyperlipidemia;
  • current use of any of the following medications: narcotics, opiate-based analgesics, prescribed anticoagulants (this does not include low doses of ASA or NSAIDs), and oral or injected corticosteroids.
  • These criteria are designed to exclude individuals for whom spinal manipulation is contraindicated.

About this study

Official title: Additive Effects of Combined Cervical and Lumbar Manipulation on Pain Pressure Threshold in a Single Session

Physical therapists frequently use spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) to treat spinal pain. However, the methods by which SMT exerts its effects are not well understood. The aim of this study is to assess potential changes in pain pressure threshold following both a cervical and lumbar spine manipulation in a single treatment session at sites local and diffuse to the site of manipulation application. This study will also attempt to determine if the order of the cervical and lumbar manipulation application impacts pain pressure threshold changes.

Read the detailed description

The aim of the proposed study is to add to the literature pertaining to the effects of spinal manipulation on PPT. To date, no studies have assessed whether or not there is an additive effect of multiple manipulations during a single treatment session on PPT. The proposed study will assess potential changes in PPT between baseline measurements, following a single cervical or lumbar manipulation, and after the delivery of second spinal manipulation performed on a different segment. The study design will allow for the investigation of possible additive effects, as well as for the effect of the first manipulation to be assessed independently of the second. Order of delivery of the cervical and lumbar manipulation will be randomized among participants to allow investigators to consider the possibility that the order of the manipulations impacts PPT changes.

Research Questions

  1. Is a single spinal manipulation of either the cervical or lumbar spine associated with an immediate increase in pain pressure threshold either locally or diffusely when compared to a no treatment control?
  2. What is the effect of a second spinal manipulation at a different segment immediately following the first spinal manipulation on pain pressure threshold?
  3. Is there a difference based on the order of which spinal manipulation is administered (cervical first, then lumbar; lumbar first, then cervical) on post-intervention local and diffuse pain pressure threshold?

Overview of Research Design This study will be a cross-sectional, single-blinded randomized control trial. This will be a single session, experimental approach in which participants who meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria will be divided into three groups: treatment group 1, treatment group 2, and control group. Group assignment will be performed using randomized concealed allocation. Participants will undergo pain pressure threshold testing using pressure algometry, followed by a cervical manipulation for treatment group 1 and a lumbar manipulation for treatment group 2. The control group will rest quietly for an allotted amount of time. Upon completion of the first intervention, a second pain pressure threshold assessment will be performed. Treatment group 1 will then receive a lumbar manipulation, while treatment group 2 receives a cervical manipulation. The control group will again rest quietly. Following the second intervention, a final pain pressure threshold assessment will be taken. The primary dependent measures will be 1) current pain intensity as reported by a verbal numeric pain rating scale, 2) self-reported stiffness, and 3) pain pressure threshold measured in Newtons.

Conditions
Pain Threshold
Being tested
Spinal Manipulation
Keywords
Pain Threshold

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Spinal ManipulationProcedure or surgery

    A spinal manipulation is a high velocity, low amplitude thrust through a physiological barrier in order to elicit a cavitation.

Study groups in NCT02828501
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Lumbar manipulation groupExperimentalSpinal Manipulation
Receives: Procedure: Spinal Manipulation
Cervical manipulation groupExperimentalSpinal Manipulation
Receives: Procedure: Spinal Manipulation
Control groupNo interventionThis group will receive a 2 minute supine rest between measurements

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Pressure-Pain Threshold as assessed by a pressure algometer

    Measured: Two minutes

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted11 Jul 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2015
  3. Primary completionFeb 2016
  4. Study completionFeb 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Investigator
Enrolment
57 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02828501
Sponsor's protocol ID
Pro00043661
Status last verified
Apr 2019
First submitted
22 Jun 2016
Last updated
30 Apr 2019
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Jordon MK, Beattie PF, D'Urso S, Scriven S. Spinal manipulation does not affect pressure pain thresholds in the absence of neuromodulators: a randomized controlled trial. J Man Manip Ther. 2017 Sep;25(4):172-181. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2016.1230352. Epub 2016 Sep 12.

    PubMed 28912629

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Spinal Manipulation in people with Pain Threshold, run by University of South Carolina.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 26 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Apr 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Pressure-Pain Threshold as assessed by a pressure algometer (time frame: Two minutes). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02828501, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Apr 2019.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in