Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Sep 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAn investigation of the interrelationship between manipulative therapy-induced hypoalgesia and sympathoexcitation.
To investigate a proposed model in which manipulative therapy produces a treatment-specific initial hypoalgesic and sympathoexcitatory effect by activating a descending pain inhibitory system. The a priori hypothesis tested was that manipulative therapy produces mechanical hypoalgesia and sympathoexcitation beyond that produced by placebo or control. Furthermore, these effects would be correlated, thus supporting the proposed model. ⋯ Manual therapy produces a treatment-specific initial hypoalgesic and sympathoexcitatory effect beyond that of placebo or control. The strong correlation between hypoalgesic and sympathoexcitatory effects suggests that a central control mechanism might be activated by manipulative therapy.