FORCES GENERATED DURING SPINAL MANIPULATIVE THERAPY OF THE CERVICAL-SPINE - A PILOT-STUDY

Objective: To determine the forces imparted to the cervical spine using direct sampling methods during a clinical episode of spinal manipulative therapy. Design: Quantitative study. Setting: Human Performance Laboratory, University of Calgary. Participants: Two doctor/patient pairs. Patients were selected by the treating chiropractors from their existing patient pools. Intervention: SMT to the cervical spine (toggle method) on three separate occasions over a 2-wk period. The clinical relevancy of the treatment was assessed via before and after measures of tissue compliance. Main Outcome Measure: a) Forces during manipulation: preload and peak forces. b) Duration of applied forces. Results: a) Mean peak force = 117.7 N (+/-15.6 N). b) Mean duration of force = 101.7 msec (+/-14.7 msec). Conclusion: The forces obtained with direct sampling methods compare favorably to previous measurements obtained from indirect sampling techniques, yet the force duration times are smaller (faster) using the direct method.