ArticleThe Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association2012
Clinical effectiveness of the activator adjusting instrument in the management of musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of the literature.
Article in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Chiropractic treatment including instrument-assisted manipulation for non-specific dizziness and neck pain in community-dwelling older people: a feasibility randomised sham-controlled trial.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2018Trial
- Gouty arthritis and cryotherapy in a manual practitioner: an imaging case review.The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association · 2026Article
- Investigation of the effect of activator-assisted talocrural joint manipulation on acute sports performance parameters in elite male volleyball players.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Resolution of Resting Tremors and Cervical Radiculopathy Following Chiropractic Treatment In a 58-Year-Old Male: A Case Report With 2-Year Follow-Up.Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2025Article
- Transient Neuropathic Pain Following Mechanically Assisted Manipulation of the Spine: A Clinical Case Study.Cureus · 2023Article
- Effects of Manual Versus Instrumental Spinal Manipulation on Blood Flow of the Vertebral and Internal Carotid Arteries in Participants With Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Single-Blind, Randomized Study.Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2023Article
- Chiropractic Care and Quality of Life Among Office Workers With Nonspecific Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2022Article
- Essential literature for the chiropractic profession: Results and implementation challenges from a survey of international chiropractic faculty.The Journal of chiropractic education · 2017Article
- Neural Response During a Mechanically Assisted Spinal Manipulation in an Animal Model: A Pilot Study.Journal of novel physiotherapy and physical rehabilitation · 2015Article
- Chiropractor interaction and treatment equivalence in a pilot randomized controlled trial: an observational analysis of clinical encounter video-recordings.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2014Article
- Chiropractic treatment approaches for spinal musculoskeletal conditions: a cross-sectional survey.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2014Article
- The treatment experience of patients with low back pain during pregnancy and their chiropractors: a qualitative study.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2012Article
- To the Editor in reply.The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association · 2012Article
- Letters to the editor.The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature investigating clinical outcomes involving the use of the Activator Adjusting Instrument (AAI) or Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique (AMCT).
methodsA literature synthesis was performed on the available research and electronic databases, along with hand-searching of journals and reference tracking for any studies that investigated the AAI in terms of clinical effectiveness. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated using an instrument that assessed their methodological quality.
resultsEight articles met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the AAI provided comparable clinically meaningful benefits to patients when compared to high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) manual manipulation or trigger point therapy for patients with acute and chronic spinal pain, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction and trigger points of the trapezius muscles.
conclusionThis systematic review of 8 clinical trials involving the use of the AAI found reported benefits to patients with a spinal pain and trigger points, although the clinical trials reviewed suffered from many methodological limitations, including small sample size, relatively brief follow-up period and lack of control or sham treatment groups.
Indexed as
Identifiers
22457541PMC3280118What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.