Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Aug;96(31):e7276.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000007276.

Shi-style cervical manipulations for cervical radiculopathy: A multicenter randomized-controlled clinical trial

Xue-Jun Cui  1 , Min Yao, Xiu-Lan Ye, Ping Wang, Wei-Hong Zhong, Rui-Chun Zhang, Hui-Ying Li, Zhi-Jun Hu, Zhan-Ying Tang, Wei-Min Wang, Wei-Ping Qiao, Yue-Li Sun, Jun Li, Yang Gao, Qi Shi, Yongjun Wang
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Shi-style cervical manipulations for cervical radiculopathy: A multicenter randomized-controlled clinical trial

Xue-Jun Cui et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Aug.

Abstract

Background: There is a lack of high-quality evidence supporting the use of manipulation therapy for patients with cervical radiculopathy (CR). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Shi-style cervical manipulations (SCMs) versus mechanical cervical traction (MCT) for CR.

Methods: This was a randomized, open-label, controlled trial carried out at 5 hospitals in patients with CR for at least 2 weeks and neck pain. The patients received 6 treatments of SCM (n = 179) or MCT (n = 180) over 2 weeks. The primary outcome was participant-rated disability (neck disability index), measured 2 weeks after randomization. The secondary outcomes were participant-rated pain (visual analog scale) and health-related quality of life (36-Item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36]). Assessments were performed before, during, and after (2, 4, 12, and 24 weeks) intervention.

Results: After 2 weeks of treatment, the SCM group showed a greater improvement in participant-rated disability compared with the control group (P = .018). The SCM group reported less disability compared with the control group (P < .001) during the 26-week follow-up. The difference was particularly important at 6 months (mean -28.91 ± 16.43, P < .001). Significant improvements in SF-36 were noted in both groups after 2 weeks of treatment, but there were no differences between the 2 groups.

Conclusion: SCM could be a better option than MCT for the treatment of CR-related pain and disability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Shi-style cervical manipulations. (A) Kneading of the patient's neck with a palm. (B) Grasping of the back and waist in turn. (C) Rolling of the upper limbs. (D) Lifting of the patient's head gently. (E) Relaxation of the neck by turning the head in flexion, extension, right (45°), and left (45°), repeated 3 to 6 times. (F) Pulling the neck joint if no discomfort was reported by patient. (G) Holding the hands of the patients with gentle and fast force at full tilt with continuous small amplitude jitter for 6 times. (H) Twisting of the sensitive points of the ears for 30 s. (I) Rubbing the acupoints Mingmen (GV 4), Dazhui (GV 14), Naohu (GV 17), and Baihui (GV 20), each for 30 s.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CONSORT flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Carette S, Fehlings MG. Clinical practice. Cervical radiculopathy. N Engl J Med 2005;353:392–9. - PubMed
    1. Schoenfeld AJ, George AA, Bader JO, et al. Incidence and epidemiology of cervical radiculopathy in the United States military: 2000 to 2009. J Spinal Disord Tech 2012;25:17–22. - PubMed
    1. Caridi JM, Pumberger M, Hughes AP. Cervical radiculopathy: a review. HSS J 2011;7:265–72. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Woods BI, Hilibrand AS. Cervical radiculopathy: epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. J Spinal Disord Tech 2015;28:E251–9. - PubMed
    1. van Geest S, Kuijper B, Oterdoom M, et al. CASINO: surgical or nonsurgical treatment for cervical radiculopathy, a randomised controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2014;15:129. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types