PRiSMPatient Response to Spinal Manipulation

Participants with narrowly defined chronic low back pain will be included in this study. Each participant will be treated 12 times over the course of 6 weeks. The following data will be collected: participant characteristics that may predict outcome or be modifiers of force used by provider (gender, age, height, weight, and Body Mass Index); spinal segment load during the pre-load and thrusting phases (force and moment in the pre-load phase, peak load, and loading rate); physiological measures (posterior-anterior global stiffness and flexion-relaxation); patient-centered outcomes of back pain and function; and adverse events. Study participants (n= 80) will be recruited from the Quad Cities metro area. A team of experienced chiropractic clinicians working at the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research will treat study participants. Each of the study participants will receive 2 High Velocity Low Amplitude Spinal Manipulation treatment visits per week over a 6 week period. The physiological assessments will be performed immediately before and after Spinal Manipulation delivery during treatment visits 1, 5 & 12 (6 sets of assessments in total). During these same treatment visits, we will also capture the kinetic measures during Spinal Manipulation delivery for spinal segment load analysis. Participant patient-centered outcomes will be measured at baseline 1, and treatment visits 6 and 13. For simplicity, data collection time points will be named as baseline, after 2 weeks, and after 6 weeks.