Pain Neuroscience Education in Elementary and Middle Schools.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to deliver pain neuroscience education (PNE) to participants in grades 3 to 8 to determine whether participants in these grades had positive shifts in pain knowledge and beliefs. METHODS: Three hundred twenty participants, grades 3 to 8, received a 1-time, 30-minute PNE lecture. The Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire and the Health Care Provider's Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale were administered before and after the PNE lecture. RESULTS: All grades improved in pain knowledge and beliefs. Higher-grade school participants (sixth to eighth grades) experienced larger shifts in pain knowledge and attitudes and beliefs than lower-grade (third to fifth grades) participants. CONCLUSION: PNE results in changes in pain knowledge and beliefs in school participants in grades 3 to 8.

A controlled clinical trial of preoperative pain neuroscience education for patients about to undergo total knee arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if a preoperative pain neuroscience education program would result in superior outcomes compared to usual preoperative education for total knee arthroplasty. DESIGN: Controlled clinical trial with alternating allocation. SETTING: Community-based hospital. SUBJECTS: Consecutive sample of 120 patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty. INTERVENTION: Traditional hospital preoperative total knee arthroplasty education program on its own, or with an additional 30-minute group pain neuroscience education session. MAIN MEASURES: Primary outcomes were measurements at one, three, and six months for pain, function, fear of movement, and pain catastrophization. We also compared opioid usage, healthcare expenses, and patient satisfaction between groups. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in any outcome measures between the two groups over time, except for patient satisfaction. Those in the experimental group had more agreement with statements about "preparation for surgery" (P = .038), "would do again" (P = .032), and "met expectations" (P = .033) compared to those in the control group averaged over the three measurement times. Patients improved in several outcome measures over time regardless of group assignment, with a 34% improvement in pain, 36% improvement in function, 16% improvement in fear of movement, and 23% improvement in pain catastrophization scores. CONCLUSION: Adding a brief 30-minute pain neuroscience education session to a traditional preoperative total knee arthroplasty education program did not result in any significant improvements, except patient satisfaction.

Knowledge and pre-thoracic spinal thrust manipulation examination: a survey of current practice in the UK.

OBJECTIVES: The perceived relative safety of thoracic thrust joint manipulation (TTJM) has contributed to evidence supporting its use. Yet, TTJM is not without risk, where transient side effects (SE) and severe adverse events (AE) have been documented. With evidence supporting the importance of prethrust examination in reducing AE in other spinal regions this study investigated TTJM knowledge and pre-TTJM examination. Method: An e-survey, informed by existing evidence and expertise was designed and piloted. Eligibility criteria: UK-trained physiotherapists who use TTJM. Recruitment via professional networks and social media from December 2016 to February 2017. Data analysis included descriptive analyses (means, standard deviation and frequencies/central tendencies), and content analysis (themes and frequencies) for free text data. Results: From 306 responses, the sample comprised 146 (53%) males, mean (SD) age 36.37(8.68) years, with 12.88(8.67) years in practice, 11.07(8.14) years specialization, working in National Health Service/private practice (81%) and performing 0-5 TTJM/week (86%). EXAMINATION: 40% (n = 83) utilized pre-TTJM examination with 45% (n = 139) adapting the examination for different regions. Technique selection and effect: preferred technique was prone rotational TTJM (67%). Perception of the primary underlying effect was neurophysiological (54%), biomechanical (45%) or placebo (1%). Knowledge: Levels of agreement were found for contraindications (85%), precautions (75%), and red flags (86%) with more variability for risks including AE and SE (61%). DISCUSSION: UK physiotherapists demonstrated good knowledge and agreement of contraindications, precautions, and red flags to TTJM. With <50% respondents utilizing pre-TTJM examination, variable knowledge of TTJM risks, and therapeutic effects of TTJM further research is required.

Sham Surgery in Orthopedics: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Objective: To evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of sham surgery in orthopedics by conducting a systematic review of literature. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted on Biomed Central, BMJ.com, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, NLM Central Gateway, OVID, ProQuest (Digital Dissertations), PsycInfo, PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect and Web of Science. Secondary searching (PEARLing) was undertaken, whereby reference lists of the selected articles were reviewed for additional references not identified in the primary search. All randomized controlled trials comparing surgery versus sham surgery in orthopedics were included. Data were extracted and methodological quality was assessed by two reviewers using the Critical Review Form-Quantitative Studies. Levels of scientific evidence, based on the direction of outcomes of the trials, were established following the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Hierarchy of Evidence (Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, 1999). Results: This review includes six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 277 subjects. All six studies were rated as very good on methodological quality. Heterogeneity across the studies, with respect to participants, interventions evaluated, and outcome measures used, prevented meta-analyses. Narrative synthesis of results, based on effect size, demonstrated that sham surgery in orthopedics was as effective as actual surgery in reducing pain and improving disability. Conclusions: This review suggests that sham surgery has shown to be just as effective as actual surgery in reducing pain and disability; however, care should be taken to generalize findings because of the limited number of studies.

Immediate Effects of Mirror Therapy in Patients With Shoulder Pain and Decreased Range of Motion.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a brief single component of the graded motor imagery (GMI) sequence (mirror therapy) on active range of motion (AROM), pain, fear avoidance, and pain catastrophization in patients with shoulder pain. DESIGN: Single-blind case series. SETTING: Three outpatient physical therapy clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with shoulder pain and limited AROM (N=69). INTERVENTION: Patients moved their unaffected shoulder through comfortable AROM in front of a mirror so that it appeared that they were moving their affected shoulder. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured pain, pain catastrophization, fear avoidance, and AROM in 69 consecutive patients with shoulder pain and limited AROM before and immediately after mirror therapy. RESULTS: There were significant differences in self-reported pain (P=.014), pain catastrophization (P<.001), and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (P=.012) immediately after mirror therapy; however, the means did not meet or exceed the minimal detectable change (MDC) for each outcome measure. There was a significant increase (mean, 14.5°) in affected shoulder flexion AROM immediately postmirror therapy (P<.001), which exceeded the MDC of 8°. CONCLUSIONS: A brief mirror therapy intervention can result in statistically significant improvements in pain, pain catastrophization, fear avoidance, and shoulder flexion AROM in patients presenting with shoulder pain with limited AROM. The immediate changes may allow a quicker transition to multimodal treatment, including manual therapy and exercise in these patients. Further studies, including randomized controlled trials, are needed to investigate these findings and determine longer-term effects.

Immediate Changes in Resting and Contracted Thickness of Transversus Abdominis After Dry Needling of Lumbar Multifidus in Healthy Participants: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in resting and/or contraction thickness of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle after dry needling (DN) of the lumbar multifidus (LM) in asymptomatic participants. METHODS: A randomized controlled laboratory trial with crossover design was performed. Forty-seven healthy individuals who had not experienced low back pain in the previous 6 months were randomly assigned to receive DN to the LM or a sham-DN intervention. Participants received both interventions separated at least 7 days apart. They were instructed on how to perform a concentric contraction of TrA. Resting and contraction thicknesses of the TrA were obtained through real-time ultrasound measurements before and immediately after each intervention by an assessor blinded to the intervention received. Data from 4 individuals had to be excluded because of poor image quality. RESULTS: Two-way analysis of variance revealed a significant contraction with treatment interaction (F[1,42] = 11.489; P = .002). Simple main effects using paired-samples t tests and a Bonferroni post hoc analysis revealed differences in contracted states of the TrA for DN vs sham-DN (P = .009) and between contracted and resting states for the DN group (P = .001): after DN, TrA thickness at rest exhibited a mean decrease of 0.03 cm and a mean increase of 0.05 cm during contraction. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that application of DN to LM was accompanied by a decreased resting thickness and an increased contraction thickness of the TrA in asymptomatic participants.

An abbreviated therapeutic neuroscience education session improves pain knowledge in first-year physical therapy students but does not change attitudes or beliefs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a 3-hour therapeutic neuroscience education session alters physical therapy student's knowledge of pain and effects their attitudes and beliefs regarding treating chronic pain. METHODS: Seventy-seven entry-level doctoral physical therapy students participated in the study. Following consent, demographic data were obtained and then the subjects completed the Neuroscience of Pain Questionnaire, the Health Care Provider's Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale and an additional questionnaire designed by the researchers. The subjects then received a 3-hour educational session developed by the researchers, focusing on the neurobiology and physiology of pain. The questionnaires were re-administered immediately after the educational session and at 6 months post-education. RESULTS: Seventy-seven subjects (mean age = 24.7 years, 57.1% female and 81.8% white) completed the questionnaires pre- and post-educational session with 75 completing the questionnaires at 6 months. To assess the effect of the education on the scores of the questionnaires, a repeated measures ANOVA was conducted. Students demonstrated significantly higher scores on the neuroscience of pain questionnaire (p < 0.001) with no significant effect found on the attitudes and beliefs questionnaire at any of the time points. There were significant differences found on some of the individual questions that were part of the additional questionnaire. DISCUSSION: An educational session on the neuroscience of pain is beneficial for educating entry-level doctoral physical therapy students immediately post-education and at 6 months. This educational session had no effect on the student's attitudes and beliefs regarding treating the chronic pain population. There were additional significant findings regarding individual questions posed to the subjects.

A clinical perspective on a pain neuroscience education approach to manual therapy.

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in pain neuroscience education (PNE) in physical therapy. There is growing evidence for the efficacy of PNE to decrease pain, disability, fear-avoidance, pain catastrophization, limited movement, and health care utilization in people struggling with pain. PNE teaches people in pain more about the biology and physiology of their pain experience including processes such as central sensitization, peripheral sensitization, allodynia, inhibition, facilitation, neuroplasticity and more. PNE's neurobiological model often finds itself at odds with traditional biomedical models used in physical therapy. Traditional biomedical models, focusing on anatomy, pathoanatomy, and biomechanics have been shown to have limited efficacy in helping people understand their pain, especially chronic pain, and may in fact even increase a person's pain experience by increasing fear-avoidance and pain catastrophization. An area of physical therapy where the biomedical model is used a lot is manual therapy. This contrast between PNE and manual therapy has seemingly polarized followers from each approach to see PNE as a 'hands-off' approach even having clinicians categorize patients as either in need of receiving PNE (with no hands-on), or hands-on with no PNE. In this paper, we explore the notion of PNE and manual therapy co-existing. PNE research has shown to have immediate effects of various clinical signs and symptoms associated with central sensitization. Using a model of sensitization (innocuous, noxious, and allodynia), we argue that PNE can be used in a manual therapy model, especially treating someone where the nervous system has become increasingly hypervigilant. Level of Evidence: VII.

Thrust joint manipulation utilization by U.S. physical therapists.

STUDY DESIGN: Online survey study. OBJECTIVE: To determine physical therapists' utilization of thrust joint manipulation (TJM) and their comfort level in using TJM between the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions of the spine. We hypothesized that physical therapists who use TJM would report regular use and comfort providing it to the thoracic and lumbar spines, but not so much for the cervical spine. BACKGROUND: Recent surveys of first professional physical therapy degree programs have found that TJM to the cervical spine is not taught to the same degree as to the thoracic and lumbar spines. METHODS: We developed a survey to capture the required information and had a Delphi panel of 15 expert orthopedic physical therapists review it and provide constructive feedback. A revised version of the survey was sent to the same Delphi panel and consensus was obtained on the final survey instrument. The revised survey was made available to any licensed physical therapists in the U.S.A. using an online survey system, from October 2014 through June 2015. RESULTS: Of 1014 responses collected, 1000 completed surveys were included for analysis. There were 478 (48%) males; the mean age of respondents was 39.7 ± 10.81 years (range 24-92); and mean years of clinical experience was 13.6 ± 10.62. A majority of respondents felt that TJM was safe and effective when applied to lumbar (90.5%) and thoracic (91.1%) spines; however, a smaller percentage (68.9%) felt that about the cervical spine. More therapists reported they would perform additional screening prior to providing TJM to the cervical spine than they would for the lumbar and thoracic spines. Therapists agreed they were less likely to provide and feel comfortable with TJM in the cervical spine compared to the thoracic and lumbar spines. Finally, therapists who are male; practice in orthopedic spine setting; are aware of manipulation clinical prediction rules; and have manual therapy certification, are more likely to use TJM and be comfortable with it in all three regions. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that respondents do not believe TJM for the cervical spine to be as safe and efficacious as that for the lumbar and thoracic spines. Further, they are more likely to perform additional screening, abstain from and do not feel comfortable performing TJM for the cervical spine. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our research reveals there is a discrepancy between utilization of TJM at different spinal levels. This research provides an opportunity to address variability in clinical practice among physical therapists utilizing TJM.

A descriptive study of the utilization of physical therapy for postoperative rehabilitation in patients undergoing surgery for lumbar radiculopathy.

PURPOSE: To determine the referral patterns, utilization and indications for postoperative physical therapy (PT) for lumbar radiculopathy. At least 50 % of patients following lumbar surgery (LS) for radiculopathy are referred for PT to address postoperative pain and disability. Very little is known regarding factors following LS that predict referral to PT, patient perceptions, satisfaction of postoperative PT and predictors of success for PT following LS for radiculopathy. METHODS: Sixty-five patients who underwent LS for radiculopathy completed outcome measures on pain and disability prior to, and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after LS. They also completed a questionnaire regarding postoperative PT at the 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: The majority of patients (59.32 %) attended PT after LS for an average of 14 visits and rated PT favorably. Forty-five percent of the patients who did not attend PT after LS were of the opinion that they would have benefitted from PT after LS, and 62.5 % of these patients reported the surgeon not discussing postoperative PT after LS. Patients with longer duration of symptoms prior to surgery, with greater leg pain scores 1 month after surgery, and who did not feel as well prepared for surgery at the 1 year follow-up were more likely to receive PT, but this did not result in significantly better outcomes on any measure at any follow-up period and did not predict attendance in PT after LS. CONCLUSION: There is a need to determine if a subgroup of patients following LS exists who will respond favorably to postoperative PT.

Safety of thrust joint manipulation in the thoracic spine: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: There appears to be very little in the research literature on the safety of thrust joint manipulation (TJM) when applied to the thoracic spine. PURPOSE: To retrospectively analyze all available documented case reports in the literature describing patients who had experienced severe adverse events (AE) after receiving TJM to their thoracic spine. DATA SOURCES: Case reports published in peer reviewed journals were searched in Medline (using Ovid Technologies, Inc.), Science Direct, Web of Science, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database), Index of Chiropractic literature, AMED (Allied and Alternative Medicine Database), PubMed and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINHAL) from January 1950 to February 2015. STUDY SELECTION: Case reports were included if they: (1) were peer-reviewed; (2) were published between 1950 and 2015; (3) provided case reports or case series; and (4) had TJM as an intervention. Articles were excluded if: (1) the AE occurred without TJM (e.g. spontaneous); (2) the article was a systematic or literature review; or (3) it was written in a language other than English or Spanish. DATA EXTRACTION: Data extracted from each case report included: gender; age; who performed the TJM and why; presence of contraindications; the number of manipulation interventions performed; initial symptoms experienced after the TJM; as well as type of severe AE that resulted. RESULTS: Ten cases, reported in 7 case reports, were reviewed. Cases involved females (8) more than males (2), with mean age being 43.5 years (SD=18.73, Range = 17 -71). The most frequent AE reported was injury (mechanical or vascular) to the spinal cord (7/10), with pneumothorax and hematothorax (2/10) and CSF leak secondary to dural sleeve injury (1/10). LIMITATIONS: There were only a small number of case reports published in the literature and there may have been discrepancies between what was reported and what actually occurred, since physicians dealing with the effects of the AE, rather than the clinician performing the TJM, published the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Serious AE do occur in the thoracic spine, most commonly, trauma to the spinal cord, followed by pneumothorax. This suggests that excessive peak forces may have been applied to thoracic spine, and it should serve as a cautionary note for clinicians to decrease these peak forces.

Pain Neuroscience Education for Acute Pain.

In musculoskeletal and sports medicine, pain has traditionally been linked to tissue injury, often assuming a linear correlation between tissue damage and pain intensity. However, modern pain science has illuminated the complexity of the human pain experience, incorporating psychosocial elements, nervous system sensitization, immune responses, and structural changes in the brain as factors. This contemporary understanding of pain has proven highly beneficial for both clinicians treating individuals in pain and those experiencing pain. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) provides individuals in pain with an understanding of the underlying neurobiology and neurophysiology of their pain experience, which has been shown to result in decreased self-reported pain, reduced disability, the alleviation of fear and fear-avoidance behaviors, diminished pain catastrophizing, and improved movement. Currently, research on PNE predominantly focuses on interventions with individuals with persistent or chronic pain conditions. However, those who experience acute, sub-acute, and perioperative pain also have the potential for elevated levels of fear, fear-avoidance, and pain catastrophizing, indicating potential benefits from PNE. This invited commentary seeks to inform readers about the latest advancements in pain science and propose a conceptual model for delivering PNE in acute pain experiences. Level of Evidence: 5.

Dry Needling Versus Manual Therapy for Patients With Mechanical Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the short- and intermediate-term effects of dry needling to manual therapy on pain, disability, function, and patient-perceived improvement in patients with mechanical neck pain. DESIGN: A single (therapist) blinded randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients (mean ± SD age, 50.74 ± 13.81) were randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups: (1) dry needling and therapeutic exercises (DN + Exercises) and (2) manual therapy and therapeutic exercises (MT + Exercises). Both groups received 7 treatment sessions over a maximum of 6 weeks. Outcome measures, collected at baseline, 2 weeks, discharge (7th treatment session), and 3 months after discharge, were as follows: Neck Disability Index (NDI), numeric pain-rating scale (NPRS), Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), global rating of change (GROC), Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ), and Deep Neck Flexor Endurance Test (DNFET). Data were analyzed with mixed-model analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), using pretest scores as covariates, and a Mann-Whitney U test for GROC scores. RESULTS: The ANCOVA revealed significant group-by-time interaction for all variables. Significant between-group differences, favoring MT + Exercises, were observed at all 3 time points on the NDI (2 weeks: F1,446 = 172.68, P≤.001, [Formula: see text] = .27; discharge: F1,446 = 254.15, P≤.001, [Formula: see text] = .36; and 3 months: F1,446 = 339.40, P≤.001, [Formula: see text] = .43). Results for the MT + Exercises group exceeded recommended minimal clinically important difference for all variables, at all follow-up points. CONCLUSION: MT + Exercises was more effective, both in the short term and intermediate term, than DN + Exercises in reducing pain, disability, and improving function in patients with mechanical neck pain. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(4):1-12. Epub 29 January 2024. doi:10.2519/jospt.2024.12091.

Short-term effects of spinal thrust joint manipulation in patients with chronic neck pain: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of an isolated application of cervical spine thrust joint manipulation vs. the application of cervical, cervico-thoracic junction and thoracic manipulation on neck pain, disability and cervical range of motion in chronic neck pain. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Clinical practice. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-two patients (41 females) with chronic mechanical neck pain. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to a cervical spine manipulation group or a full manipulative group who received mid-cervical, cervico-thoracic and thoracic joint manipulations. MEASUREMENTS: Neck pain intensity (11-point numeric pain rating scale), self-reported disability (Neck Disability Index) and cervical range of motion were collected at baseline and one week after the intervention by an assessor blinded to the allocation of the patients. RESULTS: A significant Group * Time interaction for Neck Disability Index (P = 0.022), but not for neck pain (P = 0.612), was found: patients in the full manipulative group exhibited greater reduction in disability than those who received the cervical spine manipulation alone, whereas both groups experienced similar decreases in neck pain. Patients in both groups experienced similar increases in cervical range of motion (P > 0.4). No effect of gender was observed (P > 0.299). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with chronic mechanical neck pain, manipulation of the cervical and thoracic spine leads to a greater reduction in disability at one week than after manipulation of the cervical spine alone, whereas changes in pain and range of motion are not affected differently.

Virtual McKenzie extension exercises for low back and leg pain: a prospective pilot exploratory case series.

INTRODUCTION: Current evidence supports the inclusion of directional preference exercises for a subgroup of patients with low back (LBP) and leg pain. Recent pain neuroscience strategies have suggested that cortical restructuring associated with movement activating the body map representation in the brain might account for the observed improvement with the directional preference approach. OBJECTIVES: To explore whether or not a motor imagery directional preference approach would result in any changes in patients with LBP and leg pain. METHODS: A consecutive convenience sample of patients with LBP and leg pain were recruited at two outpatient physical therapy clinics. Measurements of LBP, leg pain, fear-avoidance beliefs (FABQ), pain catastrophizing (PCS), active lumbar flexion, and straight leg raise (SLR) were compared before and immediately after a virtual (motor imagery) directional preference exercise. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences for LBP, FABQ, PCS, active lumbar flexion, and SLR were observed, but only SLR changes met or exceeded the minimally clinically important difference (MCID). CONCLUSIONS: A brief virtual motor imagery extension treatment yielded some immediate positive shifts in patients presenting to physical therapy with LBP and leg pain. Our results indicate that randomized comparison trials are needed to determine the effect of this intervention on the short- and longer-term outcomes in patients with LBP and leg pain.

Differing Effects of Nociception and Pain Memory on Isometric Muscle Strength in Participants With and Without a History of Injury: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study are to establish whether mechanical pressure pain, short-term memory recall of a painful stimulus, or long-term memory of a previous painful lower limb injury alters isometric muscle strength and whether there was a difference in responses between participants with and without a previous history of injury. DESIGN: Fifty-nine pain-free participants (29 with previous injury and 30 without) participated in this study. Tibialis anterior isometric muscle strength was compared pre- and post-noxious mechanical stimulus with instructions to recall pain (short- and long-term). RESULTS: Short- and long-term pain recall produced a significant reduction in muscle strength (short-term: F (1,57) = 160.472, P < 0.001; long-term: F (1,57) = 128.899, P < 0.001). A greater decrease was experienced with short- and long-term pain memory than exposure to mechanical pain (mechanical pain: -14.8% or -32.98 kg, 95% confidence interval [CI], -41.57 to -24.19; short-term: -24.1% or -52.70 kg, 95% CI = -60.98 to -44.34; long-term: -20.3% or -44.63 kg, 95% CI = -52.77 to -36.95). There was no significant difference in responses associated with an injury history. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that recalled pain memory can impact motor responses and calls attention to the role of past injury history in the rehabilitation process.

Effects of manual therapy on craniofacial pain in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis: a case series.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is thought to develop through an inadequate drainage of nasal and sinus secretions and perpetuated by local mechanical and autonomic nervous system factors. Manual therapy may have an effect on these factors providing symptomatic relief of CRS symptoms. The purpose of this prospective case series was to report the results of manual therapy on a set of patients with craniofacial pain and a diagnosis of CRS. METHODS: Fourteen consecutive patients presenting with a primary report of craniofacial pain and a diagnosis CRS completed self-report questionnaires including the Sinonasal Assessment Questionnaire, Rhinosinusitis Task Force, visual analog scale for craniofacial pain, and pressure pain threshold over 4 sinus points on the face. Patients were seen once a week for 7 consecutive weeks and completed all outcome measures at baseline and subsequent weekly sessions. They received manual therapy interventions only on the second, third, and fifth weekly sessions. RESULTS: No significant changes in outcome measures were observed from baseline to 1 week, where no intervention was applied. Significant improvements were observed on all outcome measures (Ps ≤ .015) for pre- and post-first treatment session, as well as from baseline to 7 weeks (Ps < .001). All patients exhibited a significant decrease in craniofacial pain and increased pressure pain thresholds and reported less severity of their symptoms. CONCLUSION: Patients with craniofacial pain and CRS who were treated with manual therapy demonstrated improvements in all outcome measures only after each treatment session. Our results suggest that manual therapy treatment could be considered as an appropriate alternative treatment of CRS.

Response of pain intensity to soft tissue mobilization and neurodynamic technique: a series of 18 patients with chronic carpal tunnel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective case series was to examine the combined effects of soft tissue mobilization and nerve slider neurodynamic technique on pain and pressure sensitivity in women with chronic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHODS: Eighteen women with a clinical and electromyographic diagnosis of CTS participated. Patients completed the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) for current, worst, and lowest pain intensity and underwent pain pressure threshold (PPT) testing over the median, radial, and ulnar nerves; the C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint; the carpal tunnel; and the tibialis anterior muscle. Pain was assessed at baseline and 1-week follow-up, whereas PPT were assessed at baseline and immediately after and 1-week after intervention. Each received soft tissue mobilization and nerve slider neurodynamic technique directed at different anatomical sites of potential entrapment of the median nerve. RESULTS: A decrease in the mean current intensity and worst level of hand pain (P<.01) was found 1 week after the treatment session (mean changes, 2.2±1.1 points). A treatment effect for PPT levels over the C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint (P<.001) was found: PPT increased bilaterally 1 week after the intervention. No other significant changes in PPT levels were found (P>.195). CONCLUSIONS: The application of soft tissue mobilization and neurodynamic technique decreased the intensity of pain but did not change pressure pain sensitivity in this group of women with chronic CTS.

Safety of cervical spine manipulation: are adverse events preventable and are manipulations being performed appropriately? A review of 134 case reports.

BACKGROUND: Cervical spine manipulation (CSM) is a commonly utilized intervention, but its use remains controversial. PURPOSE: To retrospectively analyze all available documented case reports in the literature describing patients who had experienced severe adverse events (AEs) after receiving CSM to determine if the CSM was used appropriately, and if these types of AEs could have been prevented using sound clinical reasoning on the part of the clinician. DATA SOURCES: PubMed and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health were systematically searched for case reports between 1950 and 2010 of AEs following CSM. STUDY SELECTION: Case reports were included if they were peer-reviewed; published between 1950 and 2010; case reports or case series; and had CSM as an intervention. Articles were excluded if the AE occurred without CSM (e.g. spontaneous); they were systematic or literature reviews. Data extracted from each case report included: gender; age; who performed the CSM and why; presence of contraindications; the number of manipulation interventions performed; initial symptoms experienced after the CSM; and type of resultant AE. DATA SYNTHESIS: Based on the information gathered, CSMs were categorized as appropriate or inappropriate, and AEs were categorized as preventable, unpreventable, or unknown. Chi-square analysis with an alpha level of 0.05 was used to determine if there was a difference in proportion between six categories: appropriate/preventable, appropriate/unpreventable, appropriate/unknown, inappropriate/preventable, inappropriate/unpreventable, and inappropriate/unknown. RESULTS: One hundred thirty four cases, reported in 93 case reports, were reviewed. There was no significant difference in proportions between appropriateness and preventability, P = .46. Of the 134 cases, 60 (44.8%) were categorized as preventable, 14 (10.4%) were unpreventable and 60 (44.8%) were categorized as 'unknown'. CSM was performed appropriately in 80.6% of cases. Death resulted in 5.2% (n = 7) of the cases, mostly caused by arterial dissection. LIMITATIONS: There may have been discrepancies between what was reported in the cases and what actually occurred, since physicians dealing with the effects of the AE, rather than the clinician performing the CSM, published many of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: This review showed that, if all contraindications and red flags were ruled out, there was potential for a clinician to prevent 44.8% of AEs associated with CSM. Additionally, 10.4% of the events were unpreventable, suggesting some inherent risk associated with CSM even after a thorough exam and proper clinical reasoning.

Pain neuroscience education and graded exposure versus Pilates and postural education: A pilot study in an occupational context.

INTRODUCTION: Pain neuroscience education (PNE) and graded exposure have not been explored in occupational settings for low back pain (LBP). AIM: To pilot feasibility and assess preliminary effectiveness of PNE and graded exposure for LBP. METHODS: A pilot study where workers were randomized to either PNE and graded exposure or Pilates and postural education. Both interventions consisted of weekly individual face-to-face sessions for 8 weeks (a total of 8 sessions). The primary outcome was pain intensity. Secondary outcomes were disability, catastrophizing, fear-avoidance, sleep, endurance of back extensor muscles, and patient's perceived impression of change. RESULTS: Seventeen participants entered the PNE and graded exposure group and 20 the Pilates and postural education group. PNE and graded exposure were feasible to implement. Between-group comparisons suggest higher improvements in the PNE group for extensor muscle endurance (p < .001, η2p = .29), pain catastrophizing (p < .001; η2p = .56) and fear-avoidance related to physical activity (p < .001; η2p = .48) and work (p < .001; η2p = .47). In the PNE group, at least 13 (76.5%) participants reported being at least "moderately better" against 6 (30%) participants in the Pilates group. CONCLUSION: PNE and graded exposure can be successfully implemented in an occupational context and is potentially more beneficial than Pilates and postural education for extensor muscle endurance, catastrophizing, and fear avoidance and similarly as beneficial for pain intensity and disability. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.