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Alyssa Conte da Silva1, Gilmar Moraes Santos1, Cláudia Mirian de Godoy Marques1
1Centre of Health and Sports Sciences, University of the State of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine
|June 14, 2019
Summary
Thoracic spinal manipulation (SM) showed statistically significant improvements in shoulder pain and motion, but these changes were not clinically meaningful. Only painful shoulder abduction reached minimal detectable change.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Physical Therapy
- Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
Context:
- Shoulder pain significantly impacts quality of life and functional ability.
- Conservative treatments, including manual therapies, are frequently sought for shoulder pain.
- Investigating the efficacy of thoracic spinal manipulation (SM) for shoulder conditions is crucial.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the effect of thoracic spinal manipulation (SM) on shoulder pain.
- To assess the impact of SM on shoulder range of motion (flexion and abduction).
- To compare SM with a placebo intervention in individuals with shoulder pain.
Summary:
- A randomized controlled trial with 60 participants compared thoracic SM to a placebo.
- Pain and range of motion (flexion, abduction) were measured using the visual analog scale and goniometer.
- Both groups showed statistically significant pain reduction, but neither achieved clinical significance.
Impact:
- Thoracic SM resulted in statistically significant improvements in shoulder flexion and abduction, and non-painful shoulder abduction.
- Only the painful shoulder's abduction met the minimal detectable change threshold.
- While SM shows statistical benefits, its clinical significance for shoulder pain requires further investigation.