Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41488097›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in medicine2025

Angled manual traction and usual care for cervical radiculopathy: rationale and a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial (pAMTLER).

Shaojun Liao, Junhan Huang, Zhuolong Peng, Yu Hou, Guoyi Su, Yongjin Li, Zehuai Wen, Dingkun Lin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

8 authors.

Shaojun Liao *Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Junhan Huang *Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Zhuolong PengMinimally Invasive Spine Surgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Yu HouMinimally Invasive Spine Surgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Guoyi SuMinimally Invasive Spine Surgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Yongjin LiMinimally Invasive Spine Surgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Zehuai WenCenter for Clinical Research, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Dingkun LinMinimally Invasive Spine Surgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Angled manual traction (AMT) is widely used for relieving moderate-to-severe cervicobrachial pain in patients with cervical radiculopathy (CR), yet its effectiveness has yet to be established by rigorous full randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We have designed an external pilot to evaluate the feasibility of a future large-scale, definitive RCT on AMT for CR. Methods: 48 CR participants with cervicobrachial pain (numeric rating scale ≥ 4) will be enrolled in a five-period pilot RCT and randomly assigned to receive either usual care alone or AMT plus usual care for 4 consecutive periods (each period defined as 7 days). The primary outcome will be feasibility, focusing on enrolment rate, retention rate, and protocol adherence. The secondary outcomes include pain in the cervicobrachial region, upper extremity numbness, muscle weakness, upper extremity and neck function, analgesic consumption (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opiates), work ability, quality of life, emotional well-being prior to administering treatment at each period's initial visit, as well as safety and intervention costs during the trial. We employ linear mixed-effect models on the efficacy-related outcome measures to assess the changes within and between groups over time, and determine the statistical trends of effectiveness. Results: We expect the trial to be completed by June 2026, with successful pilot targets defined as achieving ≥ 25% enrolment, ≥80% adherence, ≥80% retention, and superior health outcomes in the AMT add-on arm compared with usual care. Conclusion: This external pilot trial will provide robust data on feasibility and outcome variability for power calculations in the proposed future confirmatory RCT on AMT for CR. This pilot RCT will be invaluable to the design and management of the subsequent full-scale RCT. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR): https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=236348 ChiCTR2400087289.

Indexed as

angled manual tractioncervical radiculopathyconservative managementpilot studyrandomized controlled trialstudy protocol

Identifiers

PMID41488097
PMCPMC12757876

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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.