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Back PainNCT03063177

Evaluation of How Different Dosages of Spinal Manipulation Modulate Spinal Stiffness in Participants With Back Pain

A study testing Spinal manipulative therapy in people with Back Pain, run by Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study evaluate the relationships between spinal manipulative therapy dosage (speed and peak force), the resulting modulation of thoracic spinal stiffness and changes in the clinical status in participants with chronic thoracic pain. Participants will attend four sessions of one hour over 2 weeks. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 60 years
Conditions the study is for
Back Pain
What is being tested?
Spinal manipulative therapy
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
81 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
1 May 2017to 22 Dec 2017
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 60 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adults aged between 18 and 60 years hold and presenting a constant or recurrent pain in the thoracic area for at least 12 weeks. Thoracic are is defined as the region boarded superiorly by T1 spinous process, inferiorly by T12 spinous process and laterally by the lateral border of the thoracic erector spinae muscles. The pain has to be of non organic origin.

Who cannot join

  • Spinal arthritis, aortic aneurysm, collagenosis, advanced osteoporosis, spine surgery, neuromuscular disease, current cancer, uncontrolled hypertension, thoracic radiculopathy, thoracic herniated disc, current infection, thoracic scoliosis, current pregnancy, any contraindication to spinal manipulative therapy of the thoracic spine.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

    Trois-Rivières, Quebec, G9A 5H7

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Evaluation of the Associations Between Spinal Manipulative Therapy Dosage and the Related Spinal Stiffness Modulation in Participants With Chronic Thoracic Pain

This study evaluate the relationships between spinal manipulative therapy dosage (speed and peak force), the resulting modulation of thoracic spinal stiffness and changes in the clinical status in participants with chronic thoracic pain. Participants will attend four sessions of one hour over 2 weeks. During session 1 to 3, participants will receive one of three different spinal manipulative therapy dosages based on their group assignment and preceded and followed by the measurement of their thoracic spinal stiffness. Session 4 will include spinal stiffness measurement and clinical status evaluation through questionnaires.

Read the detailed description

Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is based on the premise that clinicians can identify spine mechanical changes and accordingly determine the dosage of its biomechanical parameters: preload force, rate of force application and peak force. In recent years, our research team showed, using an apparatus to deliver specific dosage SMTs, that SMT-related neurophysiological responses depend on the dosage of these parameters. Beside determining the SMT dosage, clinicians have to select the spinal level to be treated which is partly done by applying a light pressure to each spinous process (spinal stiffness assessment). This study consist of a randomized controlled trial including 75 participants with chronic thoracic pain who will be randomized in one of three groups. Based on their group assignment, participants will receive a specific dosage SMT delivered at T7 three times over 2 weeks. These SMT dosages are distinct regarding their speed and/or their peak force in order to generate either a high vertebral displacement or a high muscle reflex response. T6, T7 and T8 spinal stiffness will be measured just before and after treatment and clinical status will be assessed at each session beginning through questionnaires. Session four will include the questionnaires and the spinal stiffness measurement procedure. Both SMT and spinal stiffness measurement will be performed using an apparatus aiming at simulating force-time profiles. Surface electromyography electrodes and accelerometers will be positioned over the upper back skin in order to measure the muscle response and vertebral displacement during SMT and spinal stiffness measurement procedures.

Conditions
Back Pain
Being tested
Spinal manipulative therapy
Keywords
chronic thoracic pain, spine stiffness, spinal manipulation, spinal manipulative therapy
Medical subject headings
Back Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Spinal manipulative therapyProcedure or surgery

    A SMT will be delivered by contacting the transverse processes of T7 through our apparatus. Each participant will receive one SMT per session for 3 sessions.

Study groups in NCT03063177
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1840Newtons/s(N/s);125ms;250 Newtons(N)ExperimentalParticipants will receive a spinal manipulative therapy of 20 Newtons (N) preload leading to a peak force of 250N over 125ms (rate of force application of 1840N/s).
Receives: Procedure: Spinal manipulative therapy
920N/s;125ms;135NExperimentalParticipants will receive a spinal manipulative therapy of 20N preload leading to a peak force of 135N over 125ms (rate of force application of 920N/s).
Receives: Procedure: Spinal manipulative therapy
920N/s;250ms;250NExperimentalParticipants will receive a spinal manipulative therapy of 20N preload leading to a peak force of 250N over 250ms (rate of force application of 920N/s).
Receives: Procedure: Spinal manipulative therapy
controlNo interventionSpinal stiffness will be assessed at each sesssion, however, participants won't receive any spinal manipulative therapy.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in spinal stiffness

    Changes in spinal stiffness between session four and the first session will be assessed at T6, T7 and T8. Spinal stiffness is measured by applying a gradual load of 45 Newtons (N) (5 kg) through our apparatus and by recording the associated indenter displacement. The resulting force-displacement data are used to calculate a spinal stiffness coefficient (N/mm) with lower value indicating more mobility at the spinal level. The change in spinal stiffness will be calculated for each participant by subtracting the value obtained during the fourth session to the one during the first session. A positive value will indicate a decrease in spinal stiffness (increase mobility) while a negative value will indicate an increase in spinal stiffness (decrease mobility) with higher value indicating more important changes.

    Measured: 2 weeks

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Change in pain intensity

    Changes in pain intensity between session four and the first session will be evaluated by subtracting the pain value (over a 0-100 point visual analogue rating scale) obtained at session four by the one at the first session. Positive value indicates a decrease in pain with higher value indicating a more important decrease.

    Measured: 2 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 Feb 2017
  2. Study start1 May 2017
  3. Primary completion22 Dec 2017
  4. Study completion22 Dec 2017

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
81 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03063177
Sponsor's protocol ID
UQTR_2017_dose_stiffness
Status last verified
Sep 2018
First submitted
20 Feb 2017
Last updated
10 Sep 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Descarreaux M, Nougarou F, Dugas C. Standardization of spinal manipulation therapy in humans: development of a novel device designed to measure dose-response. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2013 Feb;36(2):78-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2012.12.007.

    PubMed 23499142
  • Page I, Descarreaux M. Effects of spinal manipulative therapy biomechanical parameters on clinical and biomechanical outcomes of participants with chronic thoracic pain: a randomized controlled experimental trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2019 Jan 18;20(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12891-019-2408-4.

    PubMed 30658622

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Spinal manipulative therapy in people with Back Pain, run by Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Sep 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in spinal stiffness (time frame: 2 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03063177, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Sep 2018.

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