Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26013142›Full record

Trial reportTrials2015

Effect of manual versus mechanically assisted manipulations of the thoracic spine in neck pain patients: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Anke Langenfeld, B Kim Humphreys, Rob A de Bie, Jaap Swanenburg

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Trials, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Transcultural adaptation of the neck disability index to mexican spanish and assessment of its psychometric properties.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2021
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Anke LangenfeldDepartment of Chiropractic Medicine, University of Zurich and Balgrist University Hospital, Forchstrasse 340, CH-8008, Zurich, Switzerland. anke.langenfeld@balgrist.ch.
B Kim HumphreysDepartment of Chiropractic Medicine, University of Zurich and Balgrist University Hospital, Forchstrasse 340, CH-8008, Zurich, Switzerland. kim.humphreys@balgrist.ch.
Rob A de BieDepartment of Epidemiology and CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 60, NL-6229, Maastricht, ER, The Netherlands. ra.debie@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Jaap SwanenburgDepartment of Chiropractic Medicine, University of Zurich and Balgrist University Hospital, Forchstrasse 340, CH-8008, Zurich, Switzerland. jaap.swanenburg@balgrist.ch.
Universitätsklinik Balgrist · CHMaastricht University · NLUniversity of Zurich · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeck pain is a common musculoskeletal condition with a point prevalence of around 15% in males and 23% in females that often presents in physiotherapy practice. Physical therapy and/or manipulation therapy is generally the first management option for patients with mechanical neck pain. Physical therapists treat mechanical neck pain with a number of interventions including joint mobilization and/or manipulation, therapeutic exercises or education. However, manipulation of the cervical spine carries some risks. Treating the thoracic spine for neck pain is an alternative approach. Emerging evidence suggests that it may be effective for treating neck pain without the risks associated with cervical spine manipulation. A new electromechanical device has recently been developed and tested for delivering multiple high velocity, low amplitude thrust manipulations to the spine. This device incorporates both auditory and visual systems that provide real time feedback on the applied treatment. The objective of this study is to compare the short- and long-term effects of manual versus mechanically assisted manipulations of the thoracic spine for neck pain patients. METHODS/

designA 6-month, randomized controlled trial consisting of 54 patients with acute or chronic neck pain patients will be conducted. Patients with no signs of major pathology and with little or no interference with daily activities will be recruited. Three treatment sessions with 4-day intervals will be carried out. The patients will be randomly assigned to receive either manually performed manipulations or electromechanical manipulations at the thoracic spine. The primary outcome is pain intensity as measured by the Visual Analogue Pain Rating Scale. The secondary outcome measures are neck physical disability using the Neck Disability Index, quality of life measured by the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Levels and patients' improvement using the Patient's Global Impression of Change Scale. DISCUSSION: It is expected that both interventions will improve neck pain. This would be a significant finding, as thoracic spine manipulation for neck pain does not carry the same risk of injury as cervical spine manipulation. In addition, the results may provide useful information about therapeutic options for health care providers and patients for the problem of neck pain.

trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN88585962, registered January 2013.

Indexed as

Acute PainChronic PainClinical ProtocolsDisability EvaluationEquipment DesignHumansManipulation, SpinalNeck PainPain MeasurementQuality of LifeRecovery of FunctionResearch DesignSurveys and QuestionnairesSwitzerlandThoracic VertebraeTime Factors

Identifiers

PMID26013142
PMCPMC4464708
OpenAlexW1589269664

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.