In this article published in Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the authors concluded that a treatment that most chiropractors use directed at the lumbosacral joint, on men with degenerative disk disease, immediately improves self-perceived pain, spinal mobility in flexion, and hip flexion mobility and subjects’ full height. ~ Dr. Broussard
Short-Term Effect of Spinal Manipulation on Pain Perception, Spinal Mobility, and Full Height Recovery in Male Subjects With Degenerative Disk Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
VOLUME 95, ISSUE 9, P1613-1619, SEPTEMBER 2014
Felipe Vieira-Pellenz, PT, PhD
Published: May 23, 2014 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2014.05.002
Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the short-term effect on spinal mobility, pain perception, neural mechanosensitivity, and full height recovery after high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) spinal manipulation (SM) in the lumbosacral joint (L5-S1).
Design
Randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial with evaluations at baseline and after intervention.
Setting
University-based physical therapy research clinic.
Participants
Men (N=40; mean age ± SD, 38±9.14y) with diagnosed degenerative lumbar disease at L5-S1 were randomly divided into 2 groups: a treatment group (TG) (n=20; mean age ± SD, 39±9.12y) and a control group (CG) (n=20; mean age ± SD, 37±9.31y). All participants completed the intervention and follow-up evaluations.
Interventions
A single L5-S1 SM technique (pull-move) was performed in the TG, whereas the CG received a single placebo intervention.
Main Outcome Measures
Measures included assessing the subject’s height using a stadiometer. The secondary outcome measures included perceived low back pain, evaluated using a visual analog scale; neural mechanosensitivity, as assessed using the passive straight-leg raise (SLR) test; and amount of spinal mobility in flexion, as measured using the finger-to-floor distance (FFD) test.
Results
The intragroup comparison indicated a significant improvement in all variables in the TG (P<.001). There were no changes in the CG, except for the FFD test (P=.008). In the between-group comparison of the mean differences from pre- to postintervention, there was statistical significance for all cases (P<.001).
Conclusions
An HVLA SM in the lumbosacral joint performed on men with degenerative disk disease immediately improves self-perceived pain, spinal mobility in flexion, hip flexion during the passive SLR test, and subjects’ full height. Future studies should include women and should evaluate the long-term results.