Joel Carmichael, Kent Stuber, Katherine A Pohlman, Amy Ferguson, Michele Maiers
{"title":"Where are the chiropractic clinical outcomes registries? A scoping review.","authors":"Joel Carmichael, Kent Stuber, Katherine A Pohlman, Amy Ferguson, Michele Maiers","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00583-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12998-025-00583-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This scoping review maps chiropractic-specific clinical outcomes registries.</p><p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Clinical outcomes registries track patient outcomes to improve evidence-based practice and quality of care; however, their role in chiropractic remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This research adhered to Joanna Briggs Institute's scoping review outline and methodology, as well as the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Five databases were searched on January 9, 2025, with subsequent search of grey literature and citation tracking. Sources were included if they described chiropractic-specific registries that reported clinical outcomes data. Two reviewers independently screened 604 citations, extracting data into Excel. Variables included registry characteristics and clinical outcomes collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only one dedicated chiropractic clinical outcomes registry was identified: Spine IQ, launched in 2016 in the US with approximately 50 chiropractors submitting data on over 2000 low back pain patients. Spine IQ collected patient-reported outcome measures including the Oswestry Disability Index, Bournemouth Questionnaire, and the PROMIS physical function measure. By 2018, Spine IQ had completed its pilot phase and planned expansion to 100 clinics. Three sources were excluded: one spine registry not collecting chiropractic outcomes and two databases that included chiropractic data in publications but did not qualify as registries.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This review identified only Spine IQ as a dedicated chiropractic clinical outcomes registry, revealing a significant gap in registry infrastructure within the profession globally. The profession should explore the development of registries to enhance care quality, societal impact, and opportunities for collaborative research.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"22"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12103756/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144144107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michele J Maiers, Alexander R Sundin, Ryan J Oster, Steven Kreul, Quinn Malone, Steven R Passmore
{"title":"Contextual factors related to aging determine force-based manipulation dosage: a prospective cross-sectional study.","authors":"Michele J Maiers, Alexander R Sundin, Ryan J Oster, Steven Kreul, Quinn Malone, Steven R Passmore","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00584-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12998-025-00584-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Contextual factors influence clinicians' delivery of force-based manipulation (FBM), like spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). It is particularly important to discern how contextual factors interact with therapeutic forces delivered to an older adult population, to minimize risk and identify ideal dosage. This study aimed to determine whether contextual factors pertaining to aging result in the modulation of kinetic and kinematic parameters used by experienced clinicians when delivering SMT.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants were randomly presented with a series of 12 AI-generated patient vignettes, featuring both visual and auditory content and representing varying age-related contextual factors. Factors included chronological (35-, 65- and 85-year-old), pathological (\"healthy\" vs degenerative spine), and felt (perceived as \"young\" vs. \"old\") age. Participants delivered SMT to a human analogue manikin based on each vignette, presented six times in randomized order. Kinetic and kinematic parameters were collected and analyzed for differences between \"young\" and \"old\" contextual factors of age, using a 3-way repeated measures ANOVA model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixteen licensed chiropractors (8 female, 8 male) participated, with an average age of 45.4 (SD = 9.7, range 34-64) years and 18.3 (SD = 10.8, range 5-39) years of experience. A main effect in peak force was found for both chronological (F(<sub>2,30</sub>) = 26.18; p <.001, η<sub>p</sub><sup>2</sup> = 0.636) and pathological age (F(<sub>1,15</sub>) = 11.58; p =.004, η<sub>p</sub><sup>2</sup> = 0.436), following a stepwise progression of decreased force with increased age and with pathology. No statistically significant differences were found in peak force based on felt age, or in time to peak force for any factor. A main effect was found for chronological age with peak acceleration (F(<sub>2,20</sub>) = 9.50; p <.001, η<sub>p</sub><sup>2</sup> = 0.487) and peak velocity (F(<sub>2,20</sub>) = 7.20; p =.004, η<sub>p</sub><sup>2</sup> = 0.419), but not for pathological or felt age. There was a significant difference in time to peak velocity for felt age (F(<sub>1,10</sub>) = 12.23; p =.006, η<sub>p</sub><sup>2</sup> = 0.550), with a shorter time to peak velocity in response to vignettes with older felt age.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Contextual factors of aging modulated certain kinetic and kinematic characteristics when delivering SMT. This provides evidence that practitioners differentially discern aspects of aging to inform how they deliver FBM dosage. Future research is needed to identify ideal kinetic and kinematic characteristics based on considerations of aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12093877/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144120498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gaetan Barbier, Martin Descarreaux, François Cottin, Arnaud Lardon
{"title":"Prognostic factors associated with improvement in patients with an episode of non-specific low back pain without radicular syndrome: a prospective observational exploratory study.","authors":"Gaetan Barbier, Martin Descarreaux, François Cottin, Arnaud Lardon","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00580-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12998-025-00580-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Low back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with most cases classified as non-specific(NSLBP). While manual therapy appears effective for treating NSLBP, further research is needed to identify candidate baseline factors associated with improvement to help tailor personalized treatment strategies. This prospective observational exploratory study, therefore, aims to identify candidate prognostic factors collected at baseline that are associated with short-term improvement in people with NSLBP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study was conducted in chiropractic clinics across France between March 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Adults with a new episode of NSLBP were included. Baseline data, including individual, clinical, and therapist-related candidate factors, were collected before and during the initial consultation. Participants were considered improved if they: (i) reported \"all better\" or \"better\" on perceived global change, (ii) achieved a 20-point improvement on both Visual Analog Scales (VAS for intensity and unpleasantness) or scored 0 on reassessment, and (iii) showed a 30% improvement on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at 7 days and 4 weeks post-consultation. Missing data were handled using multiple imputation with chained equations (MICE). Logistic regression analyses (univariate and multivariable with spline terms when superior fit was demonstrated) identified candidate prognostic factors associated with clinical improvement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 1,394 patients contacted, 241 met the inclusion criteria, and 207 completed at least one follow-up assessment. After imputation and multivariable analysis, duration of episode (spline 1: 0.94[0.89-1.00]), Number of painful sites (0.75[0.62-0.92]), negative treatment expectations (0.48 [0.25-0.94]), disability score (spline 1: 0.94[0.89-1.00], spline 2: 0.77[0.62-0.96]), and pain intensity (1.05 [1.02-1.07]) were associated with improvement at 7 days. At 4 weeks, disability score (spline 1: 1.24[1.07-1.45], spline 2: 0.77[0.63-0.95]), pain intensity (1.02 [1.00-1.04]), episode duration (spline 1: 0.95[0.91-1.00]), new patient (0.50 [0.28-0.91]), and clinican's prognosis (3.89 [1.49-10.10]) were associated with improvement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Less-studied factors, such as negative treatment expectations, clinician's prognosis, number of therapists, and perceived stiffness, highlighted significant associations with improvement in this exploratory phase. These findings suggest that incorporating these factors may be used when updating existing models.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"21"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12096604/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144120698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cameron Borody, Janet D'Arcy, Jaime Waters, Mark Leung, Jason Busse
{"title":"Attitudes towards chiropractic: a survey of Canadian sport and exercise medicine physicians.","authors":"Cameron Borody, Janet D'Arcy, Jaime Waters, Mark Leung, Jason Busse","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00581-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12998-025-00581-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Previous surveys of physicians revealed diverse attitudes towards chiropractic. One of several strategies proposed by leaders in chiropractic to support the advancement of the profession in North America is to increase opportunities for interprofessional collaboration. One area where chiropractic has achieved some degree of integration in Canada is in the field of sports medicine. A result of the increased integration of chiropractic in the field of sports medicine has been more opportunity for interprofessional collaboration, development of interprofessional relationships and increased exposure to chiropractic. The attitudes of Canadian sport and exercise medicine physicians (CSPs) towards chiropractic are unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes and their contributing factors of CSPs toward chiropractic and its use for treatment of athletes and/or Canadians who are participating in sports or exercise (ACSE).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An invitation to complete the survey was included in a newsletter emailed to active physician members of CASEM (Canadian Academy of Sports and Exercise Medicine) in March and April 2023 and attendees of their symposium. The survey included the Chiropractic Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ), which allowed respondents to indicate their attitudes towards chiropractic care for ACSE using a 5-point Likert scale. The responses to the CAQ were the primary outcome measure. Descriptive statistics, including mean, median, standard deviation, maximum, minimum and range, regression analysis, t-tests, and ANOVAs were used to analyse the data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seventy CSPs completed the survey (response rate: 11%). The summed CAQ scores ranged from 0 to 68 with a mean of 39.03 and a standard deviation of 15.30. CSPs who worked with a chiropractor in a multidisciplinary setting hold a more positive opinion of chiropractic. An independent samples t-test indicated that there was a significant difference between CAQ scores for those with experience of working with a chiropractor (M = 42.03, SD = 14.99) and those without (M = 29.41, SD = 13.10); t(58) = 3.27, p < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>CSPs attitudes toward chiropractic and its use for treatment of ACSE range from very positive to extremely negative. CSPs who reported to have worked with a chiropractor have more positive attitudes than those that have not.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"19"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12093891/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144112308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nora Bakaa, Stephanie DiPelino, Danielle Southerst, Silvano Mior, Lisa Carlesso, Joy MacDermid, Luciana Macedo
{"title":"Factors that influence the delivery of chiropractic services to equity-deserving groups in Canada: a qualitative study.","authors":"Nora Bakaa, Stephanie DiPelino, Danielle Southerst, Silvano Mior, Lisa Carlesso, Joy MacDermid, Luciana Macedo","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00582-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12998-025-00582-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Health inequities disproportionately impact equity-deserving groups, which include individuals marginalized due to race, ethnicity, Indigenous identity, sex and gender, socioeconomic status, and other social determinants of health. This qualitative study aimed to explore Canadian chiropractors' experiences and perceptions in delivering care to equity-deserving groups and identify individual and institutional factors that may influence care delivery.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We utilized interpretive description for data development, sampling, collection, and analysis. Participants were recruited as part of a larger mixed-methods research study, where we conducted a cross-sectional survey assessing Canadian chiropractors' diversity and cultural competency. We used maximum variation sampling to recruit chiropractors who indicated their interest in participating in the qualitative study.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fourteen participants (N = 7, female) were included in this study, ranging from 28-64 years of age. We identified three major themes: 1) Perceived role of institutions to advance cultural competency, describing the approaches and strategies of professional associations and educational institutions in making changes concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), 2) Fostering a culturally responsive clinical practice, describing factors that impact the delivery of care to equity-deserving groups (e.g. ensuring clinicians' cultural awareness and sensitivity, promoting culturally competent behaviours, and understanding patients' cultural values), and 3) Understanding the contextual determinants in accessing care (e.g., socioeconomic status, lack of accessibility, patient advocacy).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results suggest that culturally congruent care involves top-down and bottom-up approaches that integrate DEI practices at institutional and clinician levels. Specifically, the incorporation of DEI training within curricula, the development of policies that foster diversity, the engagement of equity-deserving groups to understand unique cultural needs, and tailoring treatments to each patient rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"18"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12082935/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna-Marie L Ziegler, Don Thorpe, Douglas Kennedy, Craig Schulz, Stacie A Salsbury, Gert Bronfort, Roni Evans
{"title":"Barriers and facilitators to self-management in people with back-related leg pain: a qualitative secondary analysis.","authors":"Anna-Marie L Ziegler, Don Thorpe, Douglas Kennedy, Craig Schulz, Stacie A Salsbury, Gert Bronfort, Roni Evans","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00578-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-025-00578-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Back related leg pain (BRLP) is a problematic subset of low back pain, leading to greater pain, loss of function and health related care costs. While evidence suggests self-management is effective, patient implementation can be sub-optimal. The purpose of this study is to identify barriers and facilitators to self-management for persons experiencing BRLP within the context of a controlled clinical trial and to map these to theory-informed intervention elements that can be addressed by front-line healthcare providers, informing the design and implementation of future theory-driven self-management interventions for this population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study was a qualitative secondary analysis of a 2-site, pragmatic, parallel group, randomized clinical trial (participants enrolled 2007-10) of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and home exercise and advice (HEA) compared to HEA alone for persons with subacute or chronic BRLP. We used deductive and inductive content analysis, to describe self-management facilitators and barriers among trial participants, map these to behavior change elements in the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) Framework, and identify potentially modifiable, theory-intervention elements which may be addressed with guidance by healthcare providers. Baseline characteristics of participants were descriptively analyzed using SAS (University Edition).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 40 participants, the majority identified as white (n = 24, 85%) and of non-Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (n = 38, 95%). Average participant age was 57 years old (range 29-80). Frequent facilitators included ease of exercises, knowing how to manage condition, atmosphere created by staff, therapeutic alliance, effectiveness of exercises or treatment, goal of reducing pain, and intentions of continuing exercises. Frequent barriers included time constraints, pain, and lacking confidence in treatment. Barriers were mapped to all 9 Intervention Functions, most common being modelling and education. Frequently identified Behavior Change Techniques included information, feedback, self-monitoring, graded tasks, restructuring, social support, goal setting, reviewing goals, and action planning.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study identified barriers and facilitators to engaging in self-management for participants in a pragmatic, randomized clinical trial. A rigorous systematic intervention mapping process utilizing the BCW was used for describing what participants need and how their needs may be met. These findings may support the design of future self-management interventions for persons experiencing BRLP.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12054131/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144040888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Validating biomarkers of chronic whiplash-associated disorders through magnetic resonance imaging techniques.","authors":"Julia Evans, Michael Fishman","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00572-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-025-00572-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12051337/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144021385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Casper Nim, Nicole Smith, David Starmer, Simon Wang, Grand Choi, Akram Alayed, Jomana AlShareef, Angela Gnjatic, Keegan Sloan, Kitlyn Wong, Martha Funabashi
{"title":"Chiropractic students' characteristics influencing confidence and competence in modulating spinal manipulation force-time characteristics of specific target forces: a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Casper Nim, Nicole Smith, David Starmer, Simon Wang, Grand Choi, Akram Alayed, Jomana AlShareef, Angela Gnjatic, Keegan Sloan, Kitlyn Wong, Martha Funabashi","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00577-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-025-00577-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although distinct, confidence and competence play a valuable role in healthcare education. For chiropractic students, both may be important in mastering motor skills required to perform spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). However, little is known about how individual factors influence students' confidence and competence. Better understanding of these associations would enable the development of tailored training. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate associations between demographics, anthropometrics, and prior SMT experience and confidence and competence in performing SMT with specific force-time characteristics in chiropractic students.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study involved 149 chiropractic students who performed SMT targeting specific peak thrust forces (200 N, 400 N, 800 N). Students were assessed for competence in force-time characteristics (preload, peak thrust force, time to peak force) using the force-sensing table technology, and self-reported their confidence in performing each characteristic. Demographics, anthropometrics, and SMT experience were collected and multivariable linear and logistic regressions were used to assess associations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Confidence was higher in male students, students in later years of study, and those with more SMT experience. Competence in time to peak force was higher among males and third-year students, whereas males and taller students were more likely to reach the 800 N peak thrust force. No other associations were found for competencies.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While certain demographic and experiential factors are associated with increased confidence, these do not consistently translate to competence in SMT force-time characteristics. Targeted training approaches that account for individual student factors to better support them in developing their SMT motor skills are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12036199/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144054725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Monavar Hadizadeh, Abbas Rahimi, Meysam Velayati, Mohammad Javaherian, Farokh Naderi, Abbasali Keshtkar, Jan Dommerholt
{"title":"A comparative study of sonographic and clinical parameters in patient with upper trapezius muscle trigger point following dry needling and intramuscular electrical stimulation: a randomized control trial.","authors":"Monavar Hadizadeh, Abbas Rahimi, Meysam Velayati, Mohammad Javaherian, Farokh Naderi, Abbasali Keshtkar, Jan Dommerholt","doi":"10.1186/s12998-024-00567-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-024-00567-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The most common cause of muscle pain is myofascial pain syndrome. Myofascial pain syndrome caused by sensitive areas called trigger points (TrP). Some physiotherapy modalities have acceptable effects for this disorder, but it is necessary to check the effects of placebo, appropriate dose, and long-term effects for each intervention. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of intramuscular electrical stimulation (IMES) compared to dry needling (DN) on sonographic and clinical parameters in upper trapezius muscle TrP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a randomized, single-blind control trial. The study period was from December 2, 2020, to April 10, 2021. Thirty volunteer patients with active upper trapezius TrP were randomly allocated into two groups: (1) IMES, (2) DN. Participants received interventions in three sessions. Primary outcome measurements were neck range of motion (ROM) and TrP circumference. Secondary outcome measurements were pain by visual analog scale (VAS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), disability, TrP longitudinal and transverse diameter, TrP stiffness, and muscle blood flow by vascular resistance index (RI). All outcome measurements were evaluated before, after, and one month after the intervention. If the data were normal, the repeated measure ANOVA test was used; if data were not normal, the Friedman test and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used. A significance level of 0.05 has considered.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ROM increment was significantly more in the IMES group. TrP circumference decrement was significantly more in the IMES group. VAS changes did not show significant difference between two groups. The PPT improvement was significantly more in the IMES group. Disability changes were not significant. Longitudinal diameter changes were significantly more in the IMES group. TrP stiffness changes were not significant. The vascular RI decreased significantly in IMES group.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>It seems that both IMES and DN have promising effects for improving upper trapezius TrPs. However, IMES is more effective in some clinical and ultrasound parameters. In order to investigate the effects of this intervention more precisely more studies are necessary.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>This study was prospectively registered at Iranian registry of clinical trials (IRCT: IRCT20170616034567N2).</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11998240/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144035648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anders Galaasen Bakken, Andreas Eklund, Anna Oksanen, Iben Axén
{"title":"The response to individualized treatment after a standardized treatment protocol among neck pain sufferers: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Anders Galaasen Bakken, Andreas Eklund, Anna Oksanen, Iben Axén","doi":"10.1186/s12998-025-00579-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-025-00579-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Manual therapy and exercise are recommended for patients with neck pain. In a recent randomized controlled trial, home stretching exercises with or without manual therapy were offered to subjects with persistent or recurrent neck pain. No difference in pain or disability between the treatment groups were found after the two-week intervention period. We aimed to investigate whether these patients had a better outcome after individual tailoring of the treatment content two months after the initial structured intervention period.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This manuscript is a secondary analysis of a previous clinical trial where 131 patients with persistent or recurrent neck pain received treatments over two weeks (the intervention period). Pain and disability were assessed for two months following the intervention period. During this period, the treating therapists could recommend further individualized tailored treatment, including any treatment modality, regardless of the intervention group and whether the participants responded to the intervention (responders) or not (non-responders). Responders from the intervention period were defined as reporting a minimal clinical improvement on the numeric rating scale (NRS-11) at a 20-percentage points improvement (2 increments), regardless of group belonging in the original trial. All other participants were considered non-responders. We also evaluated the number of treatments, differences in disability, quality and affective component of pain, and quality of life during the individualized care period.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For responders to a randomized trial of manual therapy and stretching exercises, a significant worsening in pain was associated with an increasing number of treatments during a two-month individualized care period. Among non-responders to the initial intervention period, improvement in neck pain disability was observed with individually tailored treatments.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>For responders to a randomized trial of manual therapy and stretching, worsening pain in the individualized care period was associated with increasing numbers of individually tailored treatments. Among non-responders to the initial intervention period, improvement in neck pain disability was observed with individually tailored treatments.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, registration number NCT03576846, on 23rd of June 2018.</p>","PeriodicalId":48572,"journal":{"name":"Chiropractic & Manual Therapies","volume":"33 1","pages":"13"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11987369/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144007232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}