The Effects of Cervical Spine Mobilization versus Manipulation on Pain, Disability, and Satisfaction in Subjects with Non-specific Mechanical Neck Pain

Background: Several studies have found an association between cervical spinal mobilizations (CSMob) and cervical spinal manipulations (CSM) on pain perception, disability, and satisfaction.However, choosing the proper technique continues to be a challenge for many practitioners.Objectives: To study the effects of a single session of cervical spinal mobilization versus cervical spinal manipulation on pain, disability, and satisfaction.Design: Randomized clinical trial.Methods: 36 subjects with acute and non-specific mechanical neck pain were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups (CSMob, CSM, or control).Outcome measures using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), Numeric Pain Rate Scale (NPRS), and Global Rate of Change (GROC) were quantified at baseline, 5-minutes post, and 4 days post corresponding intervention.Results: The CSM group showed significant increase in GROC (p0.025)compared to the CSMob and control groups (p0.472 and p0.176 respectively) over time.There was a significant decrease in NPRS for the CSM and CSMob groups (p0.002 and p 0.001) and a non-significant decrease in NPRS (p0.642) in the control group over time.Similarly, there was a significant decrease in NDI for the CSM and CSMob groups (p0.001and p0.001) and a non-significant decrease in NDI (p0.084) in the control group over time. Conclusion:Our study findings suggest that skilled manual therapy interventions can be a viable and effective treatment option for reducing neck pain, disability, and perceived favorable change following a single session on subjects with acute, non-specific mechanical neck pain.