Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · May 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialLymphocyte profiles in patients with chronic low back pain enrolled in a clinical trial.
Our earlier findings suggest that patients with musculoskeletal complaints have lower numbers and percentages of natural killer (NK) cells than asymptomatic subjects. This study examines patient lymphocyte profiles, as a secondary outcome measure, in a trial of manipulative therapies to treat chronic low back pain (LBP) of mechanical origin. ⋯ This is the first report of lymphocyte profiles in patients with diagnosed chronic LBP. Our finding of a lower percentage of NK cells in these patients confirms our earlier finding that patients with musculoskeletal problems have a lower percentage of NK cells than do asymptomatic subjects. However, manipulative therapy was not shown to have a clinically significant effect on either the absolute n