Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Perception of being worse based on changes in pain and disability in people with low back pain.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Adverse event reporting in randomized trials of spinal manipulative therapy: a scoping review of practices and characteristics.

Chiropractic & manual therapies·2026

Same author

Force-time characteristics of hip high velocity, low amplitude manipulation in asymptomatic adults: with and without a drop piece.

The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association·2026

Same author

A meta-model of low back pain to examine collective expert knowledge of treatment effects and their mechanisms.

European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society·2026

Same author

Envirotyping-driven strategies to enhance soybean adaptation across Southern Africa.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Optimizing human-in-the-loop training: Real-time personalized task scheduling via model predictive control.

Computers in biology and medicine·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 11, 2026

In situ Compressive Loading and Correlative Noninvasive Imaging of the Bone-periodontal Ligament-tooth Fibrous Joint

In situ Compressive Loading and Correlative Noninvasive Imaging of the Bone-periodontal Ligament-tooth Fibrous Joint

Published on: March 7, 2014

Tissue loading created during spinal manipulation in comparison to loading created by passive spinal movements.

Martha Funabashi¹, Gregory N Kawchuk¹, Albert H Vette^2,3

¹Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Scientific Reports

|December 2, 2016

Summary

Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) produces varied responses. Robotic testing shows SMT generates unique spinal loads, some greater and some smaller than typical motions, but generally below injury thresholds.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Small Animal Bone Compression Testing for Research

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Small Animal Bone Compression Testing for Research

Published on: December 1, 2023

A Tissue Displacement-based Contusive Spinal Cord Injury Model in Mice

A Tissue Displacement-based Contusive Spinal Cord Injury Model in Mice

Published on: June 18, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 11, 2026

In situ Compressive Loading and Correlative Noninvasive Imaging of the Bone-periodontal Ligament-tooth Fibrous Joint

In situ Compressive Loading and Correlative Noninvasive Imaging of the Bone-periodontal Ligament-tooth Fibrous Joint

Published on: March 7, 2014

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Small Animal Bone Compression Testing for Research

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Small Animal Bone Compression Testing for Research

Published on: December 1, 2023

A Tissue Displacement-based Contusive Spinal Cord Injury Model in Mice

A Tissue Displacement-based Contusive Spinal Cord Injury Model in Mice

Published on: June 18, 2017

Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Spinal Manipulation
Orthopedics

Background:

Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) yields inconsistent patient outcomes, necessitating research into its mechanical effects.
Understanding the forces generated by SMT is crucial for optimizing patient care and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the loads generated by SMT with those from passive motions in the L3/L4 spinal segment.
To determine if SMT creates unique loading scenarios compared to everyday movements.

Main Methods:

Utilized robotic testing on 12 porcine cadavers to apply SMT and passive motions to the L3/L4 segment.
Recorded kinematics during SMT and passive motions, then replayed them robotically to measure resultant forces on the spinal segment.

Main Results:

SMT generated significantly greater anteroposterior peak forces compared to all passive motions.
In some instances, SMT loads were not significantly different from passive motions in intact specimens but differed in specific spinal tissues.
SMT forces and loading rates remained below established injury thresholds.

Conclusions:

SMT produces distinct loading patterns compared to passive spinal movements.
While SMT loads can exceed those of typical motions, they appear to be within safe limits.
Further research is needed to correlate unique SMT loading scenarios with observed differential therapeutic effects.