MedPath

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

Not Applicable
Conditions
Neck Pain
Interventions
Procedure: Cervical spine manipulation
Registration Number
NCT03509649
Lead Sponsor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Brief Summary

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

Detailed 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.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
60
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.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Experienced - NegativeCervical spine manipulationParticipants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a negative description of the technique from an experienced clinician
Experienced - PositiveCervical spine manipulationParticipants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a positive description of the technique from an experienced clinician
Novice - PositiveCervical spine manipulationParticipants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a positive description of the technique from a novice clinician
Novice - NegativeCervical spine manipulationParticipants will receive cervical spine manipulation after being given a negative description of the technique from a novice clinician
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Global Perceived Effect Scale (GPE)Immediate

7 point Likert scale anchored with "1" completely recovered to "7" worse than ever.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Perception of comfort scaleImmediate

5 point Likert scale ranging from 1 "very comfortable" to 5 "very uncomfortable

Beliefs about cervical spine manipulationImmediate

6 questions determining participant's beliefs about safety, comfort and effectiveness of spinal manipulation. Likert scale with statements participants can 'completely disagree', 'somewhat disagree', 'neutral', 'somewhat agree', or 'completely agree' with

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Nevada Las Vegas - Department of Physical Therapy

🇺🇸

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

University of Nevada Las Vegas - Department of Physical Therapy
🇺🇸Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
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