NCT00269308

Chiropractic and Exercise for Seniors With Neck Pain

Randomized Clinical Trial of Chiropractic Manual Therapy Plus Home Exercise, Supervised Exercise Plus Home Exercise and Home Exercise Alone For Individual 65 and Over With Chronic Mechanical Neck Pain

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 241 (actual)
• Sponsor: Northwestern Health Sciences University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to assess the relative effectiveness of three conservative treatment approaches for seniors with chronic neck pain: 1) chiropractic manual treatment plus home exercise, 2) supervised exercise plus home exercise and 3) home exercise alone.

Detailed description

Neck pain (NP) is a considerable health problem, affecting both young and elderly individuals. Of particular concern is the negative impact NP may have on the functional ability of the geriatric population, already challenged by decreased mobility and balance associated with ageing. Chiropractic manual treatment and rehabilitative exercise have demonstrated potential for the treatment of NP in younger individuals, but have yet to be rigorously tested in the elderly. The broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify effective therapies for patients, 65 years and older, who suffer with chronic neck pain and to enhance their functional capacity. Primary Aims • To determine the relative clinical effectiveness of 1) chiropractic manual treatment and home exercise, 2) supervised rehabilitative exercise and home exercise, and 3) home exercise alone in both the short-term (after 12 weeks) and long-term (after 52 weeks), using patient-rated neck pain as the main outcome measure. Secondary Aims * To estimate the short- and long-term relative effectiveness of the three interventions using: * Patient-rated outcomes: neck related disability, general health status, patient satisfaction, improvement, and medication use measured by self-report questionnaires; * Objective functional performance outcomes: neck motion, strength and endurance, and functional ability measured by examiners masked to treatment group assignment; * Cost measures: direct and indirect costs, and cost utility of treatment measured by questionnaires, phone interviews, and medical records. * To describe patients' perceptions of treatment and the issues they consider when determining their satisfaction with care. This project is a collective effort by a multidisciplinary team, with an established record of collaborative research in the area of neck and back pain. The results of this study will provide valuable information for elderly neck pain sufferers and the clinicians who treat them.

Conditions

• Neck Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Chiropractic Manual treatment + home exercise ( procedure+behavior)	The number of treatments will be determined by the individual chiropractor. Chiropractic manual treatment will be limited to gentle spinal manipulation and mobilization with light soft tissue massage as indicated to facilitate the manual therapy. Patients will attend 4, 1-hour small-group sessions at weeks 1, 2, 4 and 8. At the first two sessions they will be given information about neck pain and shown exercises to perform at home. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of staying active
PROCEDURE	Supervised rehabilitative exercise + home exercise	The rehabilitative exercise program will consist of 20, 1 hour small-group sessions. It is a modification of exercise protocols used in previous studies by the investigators and others and incorporates recommendations of leading rehabilitative exercise specialists. The program will include exercises that reduce joint stiffness and relax elastic structures resulting in lower joint loads during movements. Patients will attend 4, 1-hour small-group sessions at weeks 1, 2, 4 and 8. At the first two sessions they will be given information about neck pain and shown exercises to perform at home. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of staying active
BEHAVIORAL	Home exercise	Patients will attend 4, 1-hour small-group sessions at weeks 1, 2, 4 and 8. At the first two sessions they will be given information about neck pain and shown exercises to perform at home. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of staying active.

Timeline

• Start date: 2003-10-01
• Primary completion: 2008-04-01
• Completion: 2008-04-01
• First posted: 2005-12-23
• Last updated: 2011-08-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States