OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a cervical versus thoracic spine manipulation on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and pain-free grip strength in patients with lateral epicondylalgia (LE). METHODS: A single-blind randomized clinical trial was completed with 18 participants with LE. Each subject attended 1 experimental session. Participants were randomized to receive either a cervical or thoracic spine manipulation. Pressure pain threshold over the lateral epicondyle of both elbows pain-free grip strength on the affected arm and maximum grip force on the unaffected side were assessed preintervention and 5 minutes postintervention by an examiner blind to group assignment. A 3-way analysis of variance with time and side as within-subject variable and intervention as between-subject variable was used to evaluate changes in PPT and pain-free grip. RESULTS: The analysis of variance detected a significant interaction between group and time (F = 31.7, p < 0.000) for PPT levels. Post hoc testing revealed that the cervical spine manipulation produced a greater increase of PPT in both sides compared with thoracic spine manipulation (p < 0.001). For pain-free grip strength, no interaction between group and time (F = 0.66, p = 0.42) existed. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical spine manipulation produced greater changes in PPT than thoracic spine manipulation in patients with LE. No differences between groups were identified for pain-free grip. Future studies with larger sample sizes are required to further examine the effects of manipulation on mechanisms of pain and motor control in upper extremity conditions.
Reprinted from the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics with copyright permission from the National University of Health Sciences.

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