Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Sep 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyExamination of motor and hypoalgesic effects of cervical vs thoracic spine manipulation in patients with lateral epicondylalgia: a clinical trial.
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a cervical vs thoracic spine manipulation on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and pain-free grip strength in patients with lateral epicondylalgia (LE). ⋯ Cervical spine manipulation produced greater changes in PPT than thoracic spine manipulation in patients with LE. No differences between groups were identified for pain-free grip. Future studies with larger sample sizes are required to further examine the effects of manipulation on mechanisms of pain and motor control in upper extremity conditions.