Effect of Spinal Manipulation on Eye and Head Movement Performance in Participants With Chronic Neck Pain: An Observational Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the immediate effects of spinal manipulation (SM) on motor performance of eye and head movement tasks in symptomatic and asymptomatic participants with chronic neck pain.

Methods: This observational study utilized a between and within group analyses to assess the effects of cervical SM in symptomatic (n = 20) and asymptomatic (n = 20) groups. Participants performed goal-directed eye and head movement tasks before and after cervical SM, to identify changes in eye and head motor performance. Eye and head movement time (MT) was analyzed as a primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included eye and head peak velocity and time to peak velocity.

Results: During the eye movement task, there was no significant effect of SM on MT. During the head movement task, there was a significant SM by group interaction for MT and significant effect of SM on MT during the amplitude and width conditions within the symptomatic group indicating that head MTs were reduced in both analyses.

Conclusion: There was no effect of SM on eye MTs. However, the significant effect of SM on head MT provides evidence for changes in head control following SM. Given the SM targeted the cervical spine, the changes in MT were only present for head movements, we propose the observed changes may result from both neuromuscular and sensorimotor adaptations following SM.