OBJECTIVE: To elucidate how spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) exerts its analgesic effects through regulating brain function in lumbar disc herniation (LDH) patients by utilizing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS: From September 2021 to September 2023, we enrolled LDH patients (LDH group, n=31) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs, n=28). LDH group underwent rs-fMRI at 2 distinct time points (TPs): prior to the initiation of SMT (TP1) and subsequent to the completion of the SMT sessions (TP2). SMT was administered once every other day for 30 min per session, totally 14 treatment sessions over a span of 4 weeks. HCs did not receive SMT treatment and underwent only one fMRI scan. Additionally, participants in LDH group completed clinical questionnaires on pain using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, whereas HCs did not undergo clinical scale assessments. The effects on the brain were jointly characterized using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo). Correlation analyses were conducted between specific brain regions and clinical scales. RESULTS: Following SMT treatment, pain symptoms in LDH patients were notably alleviated and accompanied by evident activation of effects in the brain. In comparison to TP1, TP2 exhibited the most significant increase in ALFF values for Temporal_Sup_R and the most notable decrease in ALFF values for Paracentral_Lobule_L (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Additionally, the most substantial enhancement in ReHo values was observed for the Cuneus_R, while the most prominent reduction was noted for the Olfactory_R (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Moreover, a comparative analysis revealed that, in contrast to HCs, LDH patients at TP1 exhibited the most significant increase in ALFF values for Temporal_Pole_Sup_L and the most notable decrease in ALFF values for Frontal_Mid_L (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Furthermore, the most significant enhancement in ReHo values was observed for Postcentral_L, while the most prominent reduction was identified for ParaHippocampal_L (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Notably, correlation analysis with clinical scales revealed a robust positive correlation between the Cuneus_R score and the rate of change in the VAS score (r=0.9333, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Long-term chronic lower back pain in patients with LDH manifests significant activation of the "AUN-DMN-S1-SAN" neural circuitry. The visual network, represented by the Cuneus_R, is highly likely to be a key brain network in which the analgesic efficacy of SMT becomes effective in treating LDH patients. (Trial registration No. NCT06277739).
Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Female ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Manipulation, Spinal/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/physiopathology* ; Pain Management ; Rest ; Case-Control Studies

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic effects of two types of spinal manipulation (SM) in acute lumbar radiculopathy (ALR) model rats induced by self-transplantation of autologous nucleus pulposus (ANP), and clarify the therapeutic mechanism. METHODS: Totally 108 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups by a random number table (18 rats in each group), including a blank group with no interference, a sham operation group with a surgery by making a local soft tissue incision on the left side of L5-6 vertebral segment, a model group with ALR of L5 extraforaminal nerve by ANP self-transplantation without other interference, a sham manipulation (SMA) group with simulating physical rotation, as well as a mobilization (MOB) group with simulating low-velocity and variable-amplitude rotation and a manipulation (MAN) group with simulating high-velocity and low-amplitude rotation. The interventions in SMA, MOB, and MAN groups started 1 day after modeling followed by another 5 treatments at days 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12. Rats in the other 3 groups did not receive any special intervention. Behavioral pain tests of 50% mechanical pain withdrawal threshold (50% PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) were conducted 1 day before operation followed by another 10 tests on days 1-7, 10, 12 and 14. Immunohistochemical expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was investigated on days 5 and 12 after operation. RESULTS: After 3 experimental SM interventions, 50% PWT and PWL were higher in the MAN group than the SMA group on days 6 and 7, and higher on days 10, 12 and 14 postoperatively (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the same indices were significantly higher in the MOB group than MAN group on days 1-4 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The expression of NOS was lower in the MAN and MOB groups than SMA group on day 12 postoperatively (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Both manipulation and mobilization produced better results than sham interference in relieving pain by reducing neuroinflammation possibly. At the early period, compared with manipulation, mobilization presented less sensitive response to pain until later visit. SM may inhibit the overexpression of NOS, thereby alleviating severe radiculopathy.
Analgesia/methods* ; Animals ; Male ; Manipulation, Spinal ; Nucleus Pulposus/transplantation* ; Pain ; Radiculopathy/therapy* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transplantation, Autologous

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of three different spinal rotation manipulations for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

METHODSFrom September 2011 to April 2013,180 patients diagnosed as lumbar disc herniation were randomly divided into seat fixed rotation group (A), lateral position rotation group (B) and supine position rotation group (C) by using a digital table. Finally 10 patients were excluded and dropped, 170 patients were included in the study. There were 57 patients in group A, 57 patients in group B and 56 patients in group C. Baseline demographic characteristics of patients, clinical findings and indexes of health status had no statistically differences among three groups (P > 0.05). The manipulation was performed every other day, and the treatment duration for all patients was 3 weeks. Body pain (BP), Physical function (PF) in SF-36, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and adverse reactions were observed statistically 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, one year and two years after finishing treatment.

RESULTSBP, PF scores in 3 groups were significantly improved and ODI scores were significantly lower than those before treatment and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05); However, there was no significant difference among three groups in the BP, PF and ODI scores (P > 0.05). There were no obvious and serious adverse reactions among these groups.

CONCLUSIONBased on the theory of dislocation of bone joints in TCM, three kinds of spinal rotation manipulations can be used safely for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, and the efficacy was similar.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Male ; Manipulation, Spinal ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Rotation ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate clinical effect and safety of bone-setting manipulation in treating isolated systolic hypertension combined with cervical spondylosis.

METHODSFrom January 2012 to January 2015, 320 patients suffered from isolated systolic hypertension combined with cervical spondylosis were randomly divided into treatment group and control group. In treatment group, there were 160 patients including 84 males and 76 females with an average age of (39.82 ± 10.33) years old, average blood pressure was (149.61 ± 10.75)/(81.01± 8.25) mmHg, NPQ score was 24.61 ± 8.14; treated with flexion top spin and lock bone-setting manipulation of cervical spine, once every two days for 20 days. While in control group, there were 160 patients including 90 males and 70 females with an average age of(41.37 ± 9.42) years old, average blood pressure was (151.48 ± 11.32)/ (79.65 ± 9.32) mmHg, NPQ score was 25.78 ± 9.53; treated with manipulation of reposition cervical spine by rotation, once every two days for 20 days. Blood pressure and NPQ score were tested and compared for evaluating clinical effects.

RESULTSBefore and after a period treatment, systolic pressure in treatment group was (149.61 ± 10.75) mmHg and (129.67 ± 12.26) mmHg; (151.48 ± 11.32) mmHg and (132.02 ± 11.73) mmHg in control group. After treatment, systolic pressure in both two groups was obviously decreased, and treatment group was better than control group. Before and after a period treatment, diastolic pressure in treatment group was (80.01 ± 8.25) mmHg and (78.15 ± 10.34) mmHg, (79.65 ± 9.32) mmHg and (76.89 ± 9.79) mmHg in control group, and there was no significant difference between two groups. NPQ score in treatment group was 24.61 ± 8.14 before treatment, 12.46 ± 7.94 after treatment, while in control group was 25.78 ± 9.53, 14.17 ± 8.86; NPQ score of the two groups after treatment was better than before treatment, while there was no obviously significance between two groups after treatment. The whole clinical effect in treatment group was better than control group.

CONCLUSIONBone-setting manipulation for isolated systolic hypertension combined with cervical spondylosis at early stage could receive good clinical result, and flexion top spin and lock bone-setting manipulation of cervical spine was better and safety than manipulation of reposition cervical spine by rotation.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; etiology ; therapy ; Male ; Manipulation, Spinal ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Spondylosis ; therapy ; Systole

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy of manipulative reduction combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) or percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) using meta-analysis method, in order to provide a reference for clinical treatment.

METHODSA systematic computer-based search (from January 1987 to April 2014) from CNKI, Wanfang database, Web of Science and PubMed were performed for the collection of controlled clinical researches on manipulative reduction combined with PVP or PKP in treating OVCF. The quality of selected researches was evaluated. Meta-analysis was adopted to evaluate visual analog scale, Cobb angle, anterior height ratio of the injured vertebra.

RESULTSA total of 7 researches of 410 patients were included in the present analysis, there were 5 RCTs and 2 non-RCTs and all come from China. Manipulative reduction combined with PVP could got better improvement in Cobb angle (WMD=-7.35; 95%CI: -12.15, -2.54) and anterior height ratio of the injured vertebra (P<0.01) than simple PVP, but no significant difference was found in improvement of visual analog scale (WMD=-0.01; 95%CI: -0.45, 0.42). There were no significant differences in the improvement of visual analog scale, Cobb angle, anterior height ratio of the injured vertebra between manipulative reduction combined with PKP and simple PKP (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONCompared with simple PVP, manipulative reduction combined with PVP may result in more clinical efficacy on the improvement of Cobb angle and anterior ratio of the injured vertebra. And compared with simple PKP, manipulative reduction combined with PKP has no obvious advantages on the improvement of visual analog scale, Cobb angle, anterior height ratio of the injured vertebra. However, the number and quality of the literatures, may resulted in the effect of mistrust, so more large sample and high-quality RCTs are needed in future.

Combined Modality Therapy ; Fractures, Compression ; therapy ; Humans ; Manipulation, Spinal ; methods ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; therapy ; Spinal Fractures ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate therapeutic effect of the needle-knife closed solution combined with minor adjusting of spine for treatment of neck-shoulder syndrome.

METHODSFrom April 2010 to August 2011,120 patients with neck-shoulder syndrome were treated with the needle-knife closed solution combined with minor adjusting of spine, and included 45 males and 75 females and aged from 40 to 68 years old. The disease course was from 3 days to 10 years. After the operation, all patients taken the medicine of activating blood circulation herbs. At the 3rd, 7th, 10th day after operation, spinal rotation massage was performed on these patients. After the healing of the needle points, traditional Chinese medicine herb fumigation was applied on the needle points, and the patients were directed to do the cervical spine exercise. Therapeutic effect of the patients was evaluated by the neck disability index (NDI).

RESULTSAll patients were followed up after 3 weeks' treatment. The pain of neck-shoulder was relieved, and the range of motion was improved,the NDI score lowered from 49.30 +/- 1.35 before treatment to 10.15 +/- 1.18 at 3 weeks after treatment (t = 2.116, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe needle-knife closed solution combined with minor adjusting of spine for the treatment of neck-shoulder syndrome can relieve the pain in the neck-shoulder and improved the motion of the neck. The key for the effect is accurate location before operation, sufficient adhesion solution during the operation and spinal minor adjusting after operation.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Manipulation, Spinal ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes ; therapy ; Neck Pain ; therapy ; Shoulder Pain ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo explore the therapeutic methods of fracture and dislocation of coccyx and evaluate its curative effects.

METHODSFrom May 2002 to March 2010,56 patients with fracture and dislocation of coccyx were divided into surgical treatment group and non-surgical treatment group. There were 7 males and 20 females in surgical treatment group with an average age of (48.1 +/- 0.6) years (ranged, 29 to 62 years), treated with open reduction and mini-plate internal fixation. There were 8 males and 21 females in non-surgical treatment group with an average age of (47.5 +/- 0.9) years (ranged, 19 to 54 years),treated with manipulative reduction. All patients were underwent X-ray examination and were finally diagnosed before treatment. Clinical symptoms and Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) of all patients were statistically analyzed before and after treatment.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference between two groups in gender, age, BMI index and VAS evaluation. All patients were followed up from 12 to 25 months with an average of 17.2 months. In surgical treatment group,there were 26 cases with I/a incision and 1 case with II/a incision; the excellent rate of clinical symptom was respectively 92.6% and 100% at leaving hospital and final follow-up; the improvement rate of VAS was 97.6% and was excellent result;internal fixtures were removed at the 1 to 2 years after treatment and no unwell symptoms occurred; VAS of all patients in the group was 0 point. In non-surgical treatment group,the excellent rate of clinical symptom was respectively 72.4% and 82.8% at leaving hospital and final follow-up; the improvement rate of VAS was 72.1% and was good result. There was significant difference in clinical results between two groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe results indicated that fracture and dislocation of coccyx should be treated in time. For the treatment of patients with manipulative reduction failures, instability reduction by X-ray examination and serious rectal irritation, open reduction and mini-plate internal fixation can obtain satisfactory results.

Adult ; Bone Plates ; Coccyx ; surgery ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations ; surgery ; Male ; Manipulation, Spinal ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Fractures ; surgery

Clinical advantages of Chinese spinal manipulation therapy (CSMT) were recognized for spinal chronic lesions of soft tissues and bones, such as cervical spondylosis, etc. However, the security of CSMT and the hypotheses of practice mechanisms were questioned for lacking of the relevant basic researches. Researches have proved that these methods could be used to observe the dynamic effects of spine with application of finite element analysis (FEA) computer technology. Combining with other biomechanical experimental methods and applying advanced FEA technology for mechanical problems of CSMT, we may not only find the mechanisms of action and provide theoretical supports for the traditional Chinese therapy, but also standardize the key techniques and optimize the treatment options improving clinical outcomes, and even promote spreading of CSMT. Computer models are ideally suited for studying phenomena that cannot be satisfactorily investigated with other models. However, computer models of CSMT practice remain to be further refined. The results which had been acquired so far not only verified some of the traditional points of view, but also revised and specified some perspectives of the past. This paper intends to review FEA studies with Chinese cervical manipulation therapy (CCMT) for cervical spinal chronic lesions of soft tissues and bones, involving different effects for cervical spine joints (pulling/traction and thrusting) with practice techniques and cervical spine soft tissues (including vessels and its hemodynamics, muscles and fasciae, etc).
Biomechanical Phenomena ; Cervical Vertebrae ; anatomy & histology ; physiopathology ; Finite Element Analysis ; Humans ; Manipulation, Spinal ; methods ; Spondylosis ; physiopathology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo measure position changes of lumber disk herniation before and after treatment of Feng's spinal manipulation to study the mechanism of the manipulation for lumber disk herniation.

METHODSIn 2010, 8 patients with lumber disk herniation were treated by Feng's spinal manipulation, including 3 males and 5 females who ranged in age from 14 to 53 years with a mean of 35.4 years. The patients received CT scan before and after treatment. All images were reconstructed to measure the distance between the apex of the calcified lumber disk herniation and the top of the next adjacent spinal process.

RESULTSThe position of calcified lumber disk herniation underwent change after Feng's spinal manipulation, with a slight subluxation between the two adjacent vertebrae.

CONCLUSIONIf subluxation is restored,the relation between the nerve root and the hernation will undergo change, followed by subsequent change of the hernation mass, thus restoring the inner-outer balance of the spinal column system.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; therapy ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Manipulation, Spinal ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

OBJECTIVETo study the mechanisms of tuina manipulation for treating the dislocation of bone in cervical spondylosis (CS) patients by observing the effects of tuina manipulation on the three-dimensional (3D) angles.

METHODSFrom August to December 2009 20 CS patients were assigned to Group 1 (10 cases, treated with relaxing manipulation) and Group 2 (10 cases, treated with relaxing manipulation and joint regulation). Besides, 10 healthy subjects were recruited as the normal group (treated with relaxing manipulation). Before and after manipulation intervention, all of them were scanned from the base of the skull to the first thoracic vertebra using Philips 64 spiral CT under equal conditions, thus obtaining the volume data. The 0.625 mm thickness was reconstructed using ITK reconstruction software provided by the digital medical laboratory, Software College of Shanghai Jiaotong University. The reconstruction of each cervical skeleton was finished referring to CT data. Changes of the 3D angles were compared among the three groups.

RESULTSThe regulation of the 3D C2 vertebra: Results of Group 2 were significantly larger than those of the normal group at X-, Y-, and Z-axis (P < 0.05). Results of Group 2 were significantly larger than those of Group 1 at X- and Z-axis (P < 0.05). But results of Group 1 were significantly larger than those of the normal group at Z-axis (P < 0.05). The regulation of the 3D C3 vertebra: Results of Group 2 were significantly larger than those of the normal group at X- and Y-axis (P < 0.05). Results of Group 2 were significantly larger than those of Group 1 at X-axis (P < 0.05). But results of Group 1 were significantly larger than those of the normal group at X-axis (P < 0.05). The regulation of the 3D C4 vertebra: Results of Group 2 were significantly larger than those of the normal group at X- and Y-axis (P < 0.05). Results of Group 2 were significantly larger than those of Group 1 at X- and Z-axis (P < 0.05). There were no significant difference among the three groups in the 3D spaces of C1, C5, C6, and C7. The larger 3D space was shown in Group 2 than in Group 1 and the normal group.

CONCLUSIONSThe relaxing manipulation combined with joint regulation significantly improved the 3D angles of C2, C3, and C4 in CS patients. The mechanism of tuina manipulation for treating the dislocation of bone in CS patients might lie in adjusting the 3D space of the cervical spine, and improving its functions.

Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Manipulation, Spinal ; Spondylosis ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods