NCT02550132

The Role of the Rate of Force Application in Responses to Spinal Manipulation Therapy

Neuromechanical Response to Spinal Manipulation Therapy: Effects of a Constant Rate of Force Application

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 25 (actual)
• Sponsor: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The objective of the present study is to determine if spinal manipulations with a constant rate of force application but with different peak force and time to peak force lead to similar responses in healthy adults.

Detailed description

Although there are indirect evidences that the rate of force application modulates neuromuscular responses to spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) through peak force or thrust duration modulations, such an assumption remains to be confirmed. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine if different SMT force-time profiles where a constant rate of force application would be maintained (through the modulation of the peak force and the time to peak force) lead to similar neuromechanical responses. Based on the available data relative to the effect of SMT biomechanical parameters modulation, it was hypothesized that neuromuscular responses would be similar across SMT force-time profiles, while vertebral displacements would increase as SMT peak force increases.

Conditions

• Spinal Manipulation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Spinal manipulation	Participants will lie down during the 45-minute experimental session. Vertebral displacements (cm) and muscle response amplitude (RMS value) will be recorded through kinematic markers (on T6, T7 and T8 spinous processes) and surface electromyography electrodes (on the left and right erector spinae at T6 and T8 vertebra level). Each SMT (4 per participant) will be delivered at T7 transverse processes by an apparatus. Responses during the thrust phase (duration equal to twice the time to peak force) and after the thrust (1,5s duration) will be compared between SMTs.
DEVICE	Apparatus used to deliver spinal manipulations	An apparatus using a servo-controlled linear actuator motor (Linear Motor Series P01-48x360, LinMot Inc., Switzerland) will be used to deliver spinal manipulations.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-06-01
• Primary completion: 2014-06-01
• Completion: 2014-06-01
• First posted: 2015-09-15
• Last updated: 2016-02-05
• Results posted: 2016-02-05