A RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE COMPARISON OF UNILATERAL POSTERIOR-TO-ANTERIORLY DIRECTED MOBILIZATION OF THE NECK IN PAIN-FREE ADULTS
BACKGROUND
Neck pain is a prevalent malady, ranking fourth most burdensome disease worldwide, which results in considerable functional and economic implications (Vos et al., 2010). Joint mobilization (JM) is widely acknowledged as an effective intervention; and UPA is an entry-level form of JM commonly used by physiotherapists globally. However, a Cochrane review indicated that the most effective cervical JM dosage is yet to be determined (Gross et al., 2010). Unilateral anterior glide (UPA) appears to achieve a more efficacious pain relief and better outcomes in patients with unilateral …show more content…
Though circumstantial, it has been the experience of the primary author, that some typically normotensive (i.e. 120/80 mmHg) young patients can have a 30-mmHg or greater upsurge in resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) in response to acute neck pain. Clinical reasoning suggests that applying the typical dosage of 3 sets of 60 seconds of JM may result in a potentially even higher SBP, if the dominant paradigm of sympatho-excitatory reaction is anticipated. Therefore, it is essential to explore other dosage regimen of applying the same or similar technique that could yield a decrease in SBP, offering the benefit of pain relief without the resultant increase in SBP. Consequently, the goal of this study is to provide a preliminary understanding of the cardiovascular implications of the JM technique, applied in a distinctive dosage regimen, for healthy, normotensive …show more content…
Next, the therapist applied light touch to the participants assigned to the placebo and UPA pressures to those assigned to the experimental group. UPA pressure was applied with the right thumb placed over the right C6 segment, and gentle pressure was applied until the assessor sensed movement, or until the participant reported slightly unpleasant pain with a numeric pain rating scale less than 2 (0= no pain, 10= excruciating pain). Ten seconds of the UPA pressure were performed, with 10 seconds rest between sets for a total of 5 sets. The therapist provided 15 oscillations per 10 seconds rate of application (yielding approximately 1.5 Hz). The cardiovascular dependent variables were obtained during the first and fifth sets (time points 3 and 4) and again at 2 minutes after the fifth and sixth set (time point 5 and
BACKGROUND
Neck pain is a prevalent malady, ranking fourth most burdensome disease worldwide, which results in considerable functional and economic implications (Vos et al., 2010). Joint mobilization (JM) is widely acknowledged as an effective intervention; and UPA is an entry-level form of JM commonly used by physiotherapists globally. However, a Cochrane review indicated that the most effective cervical JM dosage is yet to be determined (Gross et al., 2010). Unilateral anterior glide (UPA) appears to achieve a more efficacious pain relief and better outcomes in patients with unilateral …show more content…
Though circumstantial, it has been the experience of the primary author, that some typically normotensive (i.e. 120/80 mmHg) young patients can have a 30-mmHg or greater upsurge in resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) in response to acute neck pain. Clinical reasoning suggests that applying the typical dosage of 3 sets of 60 seconds of JM may result in a potentially even higher SBP, if the dominant paradigm of sympatho-excitatory reaction is anticipated. Therefore, it is essential to explore other dosage regimen of applying the same or similar technique that could yield a decrease in SBP, offering the benefit of pain relief without the resultant increase in SBP. Consequently, the goal of this study is to provide a preliminary understanding of the cardiovascular implications of the JM technique, applied in a distinctive dosage regimen, for healthy, normotensive …show more content…
Next, the therapist applied light touch to the participants assigned to the placebo and UPA pressures to those assigned to the experimental group. UPA pressure was applied with the right thumb placed over the right C6 segment, and gentle pressure was applied until the assessor sensed movement, or until the participant reported slightly unpleasant pain with a numeric pain rating scale less than 2 (0= no pain, 10= excruciating pain). Ten seconds of the UPA pressure were performed, with 10 seconds rest between sets for a total of 5 sets. The therapist provided 15 oscillations per 10 seconds rate of application (yielding approximately 1.5 Hz). The cardiovascular dependent variables were obtained during the first and fifth sets (time points 3 and 4) and again at 2 minutes after the fifth and sixth set (time point 5 and