The addition of upper cervical manipulative therapy in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate and long-term effects of a one-year multimodal program, with the addition of upper cervical manipulative therapy, on fibromyalgia management outcomes in addition to three-dimensional (3D) postural measures. This randomized clinical trial with one-year follow-up was completed at the research laboratory of our university. A total of 120 (52 female) patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and definite C1-2 joint dysfunction were randomly assigned to the control or an experimental group. Both groups received a multimodal program; additionally, the experimental group received upper cervical manipulative therapy. Primary outcomes were the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), whereas secondary outcomes included Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), algometric score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and 3D postural measures. Measures were assessed at three time intervals: baseline, 12 weeks, and 1 year after the 12-week follow-up. The general linear model with repeated measures indicated a significant group × time effect in favor of the experimental group on the measures of 3D postural parameters (P < .0005), FIQ (P < .0005), PCS (P < .0005), algometric score (F = P < .0005), PSQI (P < .0005), BAI (P < .0005), and BDI (P < .0005). The addition of the upper cervical manipulative therapy to a multimodal program is beneficial in treating patients with FMS.

An evaluation of osteopathic treatment on psychological outcomes with patients suffering from chronic pain: A prospective observational cohort study collected through a health and well-being academy

“…The improvement in anxiety and quality-of-life measures is also consistent with a previous RCT which also found a significant reduction in anxiety and improvements in quality-of-life factors but no significant impact on depression ( Castro-Sanchez et al, 2011 ). In addition to this, there were consistencies with other RCTs who found improvements in state anxiety ( Bialosky et al, 2009 ; Moustafa and Diab, 2015 ) and trait anxiety ( Lopez-Lopez et al, 2015 ) but again not depression ( Moustafa and Diab, 2015 ).…”

“…These included an RCT ( Bialosky et al, 2009 ) which found that for patients receiving spinal manipulative therapy, their state anxiety positively correlated to their changes in pain sensitivity; however, there was no mention that this therapy was delivered by an osteopath specifically. For depression, another RCT ( Moustafa and Diab, 2015 ) found that after 1 hour, three times a week and for 12 weeks programme, there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups for Becks Depression Inventory (BDI) scores after a 1-year follow-up, but again, this was not specific to OMT. Licciardone et al (2013) found that patients with comorbid depression did not respond favourably to OMT; however, the impact of OMT on psychological outcomes was not specifically explored.…”

The effects of osteopathic treatment on psychosocial factors in people with persistent pain: A systematic review

“…Of these, two found significant differences. Moustafa and Diab found significant differences between the experimental and control groups for BDI scores (p < 0.0005) at 1-year follow-up [49]. Licciardone et al reported a significant interaction between OMT and comorbid depression (p ¼ 0.02) indicating that patients with comorbid depression did not respond favorably to OMT in their study [50].…”

Increased Telomere Length and Improvements in Dysautonomia, Quality of Life, and Neck and Back Pain Following Correction of Sagittal Cervical Alignment Using Chiropractic BioPhysics® Technique: a Case Study

“…This increased tension provides resistance against the necessary shortening and swelling of nerve fibers that accompany an action potential. This tension can give rise to local and distant signs and symptoms including neuralgias, spasticity, dizziness, bladder dysfunction, cervical and lumbar spondylosis, disk hernias, trauma to the spinal cord, and autoimmune disorders [23][24][25][26]32,33,47]. This serves as a proposed mechanism for the source of this patient's health conditions due to their resolution following sagittal cervical spinal correction.…”

“…Chiropractic BioPhysics® (CBP®) technique is a full-spine and posture rehabilitation approach to correcting poor posture, deviation of normal spinal alignment and subluxation through incorporating mirror image® exercise, adjustments, and traction procedures [27][28][29][30][31]. CBP® has an extensive amount of quality scientific evidence supporting reliable correction of spinal and postural misalignment yielding improvements in concomitant neurological, musculoskeletal symptoms, spine movement, and patient disability levels [20,[23][24][25][26]32,33]. It seems logical to propose that improvements in spinal and neurological health may have a beneficial impact on TL.…”