Manual Therapy and Augmented Exercise for Neck Pain

Des Moines University72 enrolled

Overview

Manual therapy and exercise have shown to be beneficial for people with neck pain, however it is not clear how outcomes following a general exercise program compare to specific exercises intended to augment a specific manual/hands-on intervention. This study will compare outcomes following manual therapy and a specific exercise program with manual therapy and a general exercise program.

The purpose of this study is to determine if specific neck exercises intended to augment specific manual therapy treatments result in better outcomes than standard neck exercises in people with neck pain. Clinical tests and measurements as well as patient questionnaires will be completed and compared between groups. A secondary purpose is to determine if self report of activity is correlated with functional improvements. We hypothesize that a specifically applied home exercise that augments the effects of the manual therapy intervention will lead to improvements in outcomes in patients with neck pain. We hypothesize that higher reports of self activity will be correlated with improvements in outcomes.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Neck Pain

Interventions

Augmented Exercise and Manual TherapyOTHER

Session 1 will include the manual therapy intervention to cervical and or thoracic regions. Subjects will perform the augmented exercise at home and at each data collection session.

General Exercise and Manual TherapyOTHER

Session 1 will include the manual therapy intervention to cervical and or thoracic regions. Subjects will perform general range of motion exercises for the neck at home and at each data collection session.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects with complaint of neck pain, neck motion limitations, pain at end-range neck ROM, limited cervical/cervical and thoracic joint mobility, neck pain with manual segmental examination Exclusion Criteria: * The presence of any red flags (i.e. tumor, metabolic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, prolonged history of steroid use, signs and symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency, etc.), use of blood thinners, whiplash injury in the past 6 weeks, evidence of central nervous system involvement (such as hyperreflexia, sensory disturbances in the hands, unsteadiness during walking, etc.), history of spinal surgery, workers compensation or pending legal action regarding their neck pain, insufficient English language skills to complete questionnaires, unable to comply with schedule

Locations (3)

Des Moines University

Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Walsh University

North Canton, Ohio, United States

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Neck Disability Index (NDI)

A functional questionnaire completed by the subject

Time frame: baseline; 36-48 hours; 96 hours

Secondary Outcomes

Change in Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)

Time frame: baseline; 36-48 hours; 96 hours

Change in Self Reported Activity Scale (SAA)

Time frame: Baseline; 36-48 hours; 96 hours

Change in Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT)

Time frame: Baseline; Immediate post intervention; 36-48 hours; 96 hours

Change in Vibratory Measure

A specialized tool is used to measure sensory threshold; it is a hand-held sensor with a small vibrating tip held against the skin. This device measures how the nerves react to vibration. The procedure is non-invasive. Little or no discomfort should be felt during the test.

Time frame: Baseline; Immediate post intervention; 36-48 hours; 96 hours

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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