The Clinical journal of pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Does mobilization of the upper cervical spine affect pain sensitivity and autonomic nervous system function in patients with cervico-craniofacial pain?: A randomized-controlled trial.
The aims were to investigate the effects of anterior-posterior upper cervical mobilization (APUCM) on pain modulation in craniofacial and cervical regions and its influence on the sympathetic nervous system. ⋯ This study provided preliminary evidence of a short-term hypoalgesic effect of APUCM on craniofacial and cervical regions of patients with cervico-craniofacial pain of myofascial origin, suggesting that APUCM may cause an immediate nociceptive modulation in the trigeminocervical complex. We also observed a sympathoexcitatory response, which could be related to the hypoalgesic effect induced by the technique, but this aspect should be confirmed in future studies.