CLINICAL RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in Salons 10-12.

THURSDAY, 5:30-6:15 PM


Di Duro, Joseph O.

Pain evoked potential processing in manipulative care: a case series.

Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research joseph.diduro@palmer.edu

OBJECTIVE: To measure pain evoked potentials (PeVP) in a group of patients as a pilot study to determine if PeVP processing is influenced by manipulative care.

DESIGN: Two group observational study.

SETTING: Outpatient chiropractic clinic in Italy.

PATIENTS: Ten patients (5 men and 5 women; mean age 35 years) were examined with PeVP before and after chiropractic manipulation. These patients were divided into asymptomatic, maintenance patients (2 male 4 female, mean age 37.5) years and patients suffering active migraine (3 male, 1 female, mean age 31.3 years). Pain stimulation was given with a nociceptive specific, surface electrode on the dominant hand at 1.5 times threshold. The evoked potential was recorded at the vertex (Cz) before and after the intervention by two trials of 20 stimuli at 1 Hz, which were averaged and analyzed offline. Intervention: Manual high-velocity, short-amplitude thrusts to the thoracic and cervical spine.

MAIN OUTCOME: Change in PeVP (N2-P2) amplitude.

MAIN RESULT: Asymptomatic patients showed a mean amplitude change of -2.75 milliamps (SD = 2.81, 95% CI -0.22 to -5.27) while migraine patients showed a smaller change of 0.83 milliamps (SD = 4.35, 95% CI: -6.10 to 7.75)

CONCLUSION: This observational study provides data that PeVP processing is altered after chiropractic intervention. Pain evoked potentials may be a useful tool to investigate the mechanisms of manipulation induced hypoalgesia in patients.

 

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