Cervical Spine Manipulation Affects on Balance and Proprioception

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Cervical spine manipulation (CSM) is utilized by many health care practitioners in the management of patients with neck pain and headache. How CSM works is not understood however, most researchers agree that there is likely a combination of mechanical, neurophysiological and placebo effects. This study will test for possible neurophysiological effects by examining for changes in a person's ability to reposition their head and neck in space, and maintain their balance following CSM.

Detailed Description
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Consenting participants will have their proprioception tested through a joint repositioning error test for their cervical spine, and also have their balance tested through a Neurocom Balancemaster. Following these pre-intervention measures, they will receive in a random order, either a cervical spine manipulation (CSM) or a sham manipulation, and then have tests repeated to analyze for changes and differences between interventions.

Official Title
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Immediate Effects of Cervical Spine Manipulation on Balance and Joint Proprioception in Healthy Individuals

Conditions
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Neck Pain, Headache

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Cervical Spine Manipulation
* Other: Manual Contact


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 Exclusion Criteria: current neck pain/symptoms; neck pain symptoms within the last 6 months; confirmation or possibility of pregnancy; dizziness; vertigo, or nausea; history of cervical spine surgery; rheumatoid arthritis; osteoporosis; osteopenia; ankylosing spondylitis; cancer; or vertebral artery insufficiency.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 60 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Cervical Spine Manipulation<br>Subjects will lie supine on a treatment table and receive a high velocity low amplitude thrust joint manipulation to their cervical spine in rotation to each side of the neck. | Other: Cervical Spine Manipulation<br> <br> |
| Sham Comparator: Manual Contact<br>Subjects will lie supine on a treatment table and have their suboccipital region gently cupped by the therapist for 30 seconds. No movement or force will be applied, just simple manual contact. | Other: Manual Contact<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cervical joint proprioception | Subjects wear a headband with a mounted laser pointer and sit 1 meter away from a wall. They assume their comfortable neutral cervical posture and then close their eyes and extend their cervical spine and return to their neutral posture with eyes closed. The laser pointer marks the point of return and we measure the difference between start and end points for error. | 1 day (Immediately after the intervention) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Manipulation, Balance, Proprioception