Thoracic Manips vs. TENS & Heat
Reference:Gonz�lez-Iglesias J, et al Inclusion of thoracic spine thrust manipulation into an electro-therapy/thermal program for the management of patients with acute mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Man Ther. 2009 Jun;14(3):306-13.
This RCT examined the effects of TENS, heat and massage alone or in combination with the seated thoracic spine distraction thrust manipulation.
45 patients with acute neck pain were randomly divided into…
- Group 1: Modalities plus thoracic manipulation once per week for 3 weeks
- Group 2: Modalities only (no manual therapy)The modality program consisted of 6 sessions of TENS (frequency 100Hz; 20min), 15 minutes of a hot pack and soft tissue massage.
Results: Patients who received only 3 sessions of thoracic manipulations experienced
- Significantly greater gain in neck ROM in all directions
- Significantly greater reductions in both neck pain and disability scoresClinical Conclusion: The inclusion of 3 thoracic manipulations significantly increased the benefits of TENS, heat and massage for patients with acute neck pain.
Posted on: April 09, 2012Categories: Cervical Spine , Thoracic Spine
