Three-dimensional computerized mobilization of the cervical spine for the treatment of chronic neck pain: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Manual therapies for chronic neck pain are imprecise, inconsistent, and brief due to therapist fatigue. A previous study showed that computerized mobilization of the cervical spine in the sagittal plane is a safe and potentially effective treatment of chronic neck pain. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of computerized mobilization of the cervical spine in a three-dimensional space for the treatment of chronic neck pain. DESIGN: Pilot, open trial. SETTING: Physical therapy outpatient department. PARTICIPANTS: Nine patients with chronic neck pain. INTERVENTIONS: A computerized cradle capable of three-dimensional neck mobilizations was used. Treatment sessions lasted 20 minutes, biweekly, for six weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, cervical range of motion (CROM), neck disability index (NDI), joint position error (JPE), and muscle algometry. RESULTS: Comparing baseline at week one with week six (end of treatment), the VAS scores dropped by 2.9 points (P < 0.01). The six directions of movement studied by the CROM showed a combined increase of 11% (P = 0.01). The NDI decreased significantly from 16 to 10 (P = 0.03), and the JPE decreased significantly from 3.7° to 1.9° (P = 0.047). There was no change in the pressure pain threshold in any muscle tested. There were no significant adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results demonstrate that this novel, computerized, three-dimensional cervical mobilization device is probably safe. The data also suggest that this method is effective in alleviating neck pain and associated headache, and in increasing the CROM, although the sample size was small in this open trial.

Computerized mobilization of the cervical spine for the treatment of chronic neck pain.

BACKGROUND: Manual therapies for chronic neck pain (NP) are imprecise, inconsistent, and brief because of therapist fatigue. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the safety and efficacy of computerized mobilization of the cervical spine in the sagittal plane for the treatment of chronic NP. DESIGN: Pilot open trial. SETTING: : Physical therapy outpatient department. PARTICIPANTS: Ten patients with chronic NP. INTERVENTIONS: A computerized cradle capable of 3-dimensional neck mobilization was utilized. However, in the present trial the cradle was only utilized in the sagittal plane. Treatment sessions lasted 20 minutes, biweekly, for 6 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: : Numerical rating scale for pain, Neck Disability Index questionnaire, muscle algometry, cervical range of motion (CROM), surface electromyography, and 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire. RESULTS: Treatment was not associated with any significant adverse effects. Pain scores reduced by 2 ± 0.5 numerical rating scale points. CROM showed significant improvement at the end of the study (P<0.05). Neck Disability Index showed marked improvement by the fourth week, end of study, and 2 weeks after treatment (P<0.05); headache subscale showed marked reduction. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results demonstrate the safety of a novel computerized mobilization of the cervical spine. In addition, the data suggest that this method is effective in increasing CROM and in alleviating NP and associated headache.