Increasing the cervical lordosis with chiropractic biophysics seated combined extension-compression and transverse load cervical traction with cervical manipulation: nonrandomized clinical control trial.
OBJECTIVES: To study whether a seated, retracted, extended, and compressed position would cause tension in the anterior cervical ligament, anterior disk, and muscle structures, and thereby restore cervical lordosis or increase the curvature in patients with loss of the cervical lordosis. CLINICAL FEATURES: 30 preselected patients, were treated for the first 3 weeks of care using cervical manipulation and cervical extension-compression traction. Pretreatment and post treatment Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain ratings were compared along with pretreatment and post treatment lateral cervical radiographs analyzed. Results are compared to a control group of 33 subjects receiving no treatment and matched for age, sex, weight, height, and pain. RESULTS: Control subjects reported no change in VAS pain ratings and had no statistical significant change in segmental or global cervical alignment on comparative lateral cervical radiographs repeated an average of 8.5 months later. For the traction group, VAS ratings were 4.1 pretreatment and 1.1 post treatment. On comparative lateral cervical radiographs repeated after an average of 38 visits over 14.6 weeks, 10 angles and 2 distances showed statistically significant improvements, including anterior head weight bearing (mean improvement of 11 mm), Cobb angle at C2-C7 (mean improvement of -13.6 degrees ), and the angle of intersection of the posterior tangents at C2-C7 (mean improvement of 17.9 degrees ). Twenty-one (70%) of the treatment group subjects were followed for an additional 14 months; improvements in cervical lordosis and anterior weight bearing were maintained. CONCLUSIONS: Chiropractic biophysics (CBP) technique's
extension-compression 2-way cervical traction combined with spinal manipulation decreased chronic neck pain intensity and improved cervical lordosis in 38 visits over 14.6 weeks, as indicated by increases in segmental and global cervical alignment. Anterior head weight-bearing was reduced by 11 mm; Cobb angles averaged an increase of 13 degrees to 14 degrees; and the angle of intersection of posterior tangents on C2 and C7 averaged 17.9 degrees of improvement. HarrisonDE, Harrison DD, Betz JJ, Janik TJ, Holland B, Colloca CJ, Haas JW.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2003 Mar-Apr;26(3):139-51.
CBP® Nonprofit research has over 100 publications in the Index Medicus and CINAHL by 2006. The CBP Research Team includes Dr. Don Harrison, MSE, DC, PhD (founder of CBP), Burt Holland, PhD (statistician from Temple University), Rene Cailliet, MD (world’s most renown Physiatrist), Stacy Harmon, DC, MD (Emergency Medicine in California), Tad Janik, PhD, MSE (Mathematical modeling, Alabama), Tony Keller, PhD (Mechanical Engineer, University of Vermont), Bill Jones, PhD (Mechanical Engineer Mississippi State University), Martin Normand, PhD, DC (Professor & Director of the Chiropractic Program at University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres), Rob Moore, PhD (Australian Anatomist), Robert Gunzburg, MD, PhD (Orthopedist in Netherlands), Chris Colloca, DC (Arizona), Deed Harrison, DC (Nevada), Paul Oakley, MS, DC (Ontario Canada), Jason Haas, DC (Colorado), Joe Ferrantelli, DC (Florida), Denise Perron, DC (Quebec, Canada), and Joe Betz, DC (Idaho).
