Inclusion of thoracic spine thrust manipulation into an electro-therapy/thermal program for the management of patients with acute mechanical neck pain: A randomized clinical trial

Thoracic Spine Manipulation for the Management of Patients With Neck Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…There is growing evidence demonstrating the benefits of thoracic spine thrust manipulation in the management of patients with neck pain. [13][14][15]18,19,21,25 The majority of studies on the effects of thoracic manipulation in patients with mechanical neck pain have been limited to immediate outcomes, 13-15 2-day outcomes, 14 or 1-week outcomes. 25 Another study lacked a comparison group, 19 which precluded inferences about a cause-and-effect relationship.…”

“…[13][14][15]18,19,21,25 The majority of studies on the effects of thoracic manipulation in patients with mechanical neck pain have been limited to immediate outcomes, 13-15 2-day outcomes, 14 or 1-week outcomes. 25 Another study lacked a comparison group, 19 which precluded inferences about a cause-and-effect relationship. We have recently completed a randomized clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of an electro/thermal therapy program and an electro/thermal therapy program plus thoracic spine thrust manipulation in a group of patients with mechanical neck pain.…”

“…We have recently completed a randomized clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of an electro/thermal therapy program and an electro/thermal therapy program plus thoracic spine thrust manipulation in a group of patients with mechanical neck pain. 25 Three thrust manipulations were delivered during the therapy in the previous 2 months, or (6) less than 18 or greater than 45 years of age. The medical history for each patient was solicited from their primary care physician to assess the presence of any exclusion criteria or "red flags" (infection, osteoporosis).…”

Effectiveness of Thoracic Manipulation on the Treatment of Patients With Mechanical Non-Specific Neck Pain

“…They randomized participants to either control group that received 6 sessions of electrotherapy and soft tissue massage, or experimental group that received control group's treatment and also a thoracic manipulation. One trial reported treatment effect at 1-week follow-up [48], while the second reported treatment effect at 2-week and 4-week follow ups [49]. Both studies reported clinically significant improvements in pain, ROM, and neck disability with slightly better results in the group receiving thoracic manipulation.…”

Effects of the Inclusion Thoracic Mobilization into Cranio-Cervical Flexor Exercise in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain

“…Thoracic manipulations contributed to recovery of normal biomechanics, thereby reducing mechanical stress in the cervical spine and improving the distribution of joint force 7) . It is also possible that spinal manipulative therapy has inherent qualities that can alter the biomechanics of the thoracic spine and it is likely that the affected segments are biomechanically related to the cervical spine 21) . Although the exercise methods used in this study were not the same as those used in preceding studies, the cervical flexor exercises and thoracic mobilizations, performed with patients with neck pain, yielded greater therapeutic effects.…”