Impact of Practitioner and Instructional Set on Subject Perceptions and Expectations of Cervical Spine Manipulation

Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE)

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Neck Pain

Treatments: Procedure: Cervical spine manipulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03509649

1144771

Details and patient eligibility

About

Determine effects of perceptions and expectations on experience of cervical spine manipulation

Full description

The purpose of this study is to better understand how therapists may affect a patient's thoughts/ beliefs/ opinions on cervical spine (neck) manipulation. Current evidence suggests that patients who have a positive expectation about neck manipulation are more likely to report benefit from it, and we wish to determine if the perceived experience level of the therapist and the words they use to describe neck manipulation will affect the patient's perception.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. age 18-65 years;
2. must report having no current episode of mechanical neck pain;
3. must be willing to participate;
4. must indicate they have not had their neck manipulated by a physical therapist, osteopath or chiropractor within the last 5 years.

Exclusion criteria

1. 'Red flag' items indicated in your Neck Medical Screening Questionnaire such as: history of a tumor, bone fracture, metabolic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, severe atherosclerosis, prolonged history of steroid use, heart disease, and stroke.
2. History of neck whiplash injury.
3. Diagnosis from your physician of cervical spinal stenosis (narrowing of spinal canal) or presence of symptoms (pain, pins and needles, numbness) in both arms.
4. Presence of central nervous system involvement such as exaggerated reflexes, changes in sensation in the hands or face, muscle wasting in the hands, altered taste, and presence of abnormal reflexes.
5. Evidence of neurological signs suggesting nerve root entrapment (pinched nerve in the neck).
6. Prior surgery to your neck or upper back.
7. A medical condition which may change your sensation of pain or pressure pain thresholds (i.e. taking analgesics, sedatives, history of substance abuse, or cognitive deficiency).
8. Diagnosis from your physician of fibromyalgia syndrome.
9. Currently pregnant, or think you may be pregnant.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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60 participants in 4 patient groups

Experienced - Positive

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a positive description of the technique from an experienced clinician

Treatment:

Procedure: Cervical spine manipulation

Experienced - Negative

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a negative description of the technique from an experienced clinician

Treatment:

Procedure: Cervical spine manipulation

Novice - Positive

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a positive description of the technique from a novice clinician

Treatment:

Procedure: Cervical spine manipulation

Novice - Negative

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a negative description of the technique from a novice clinician

Treatment:

Procedure: Cervical spine manipulation