The short term efficacy of thoracic spinal manipulation on shoulder impingement syndrome

Abstract

Background: The most common shoulder complaint seen by physicians is shoulder impingement syndrome. There has been limited success with the current conservative treatment that has been provided for this condition. Thoracic spine and rib manipulation is purported to aid in the treatment of this condition; however there is a paucity of controlled investigations. The purpose of this study was to determine the short term efficacy of thoracic and prone rib manipulation on shoulder impingement syndrome. Methods: A randomised, placebo controlled pre-test post-test experimental design was used. Informed consent was obtained and 30 participants were recruited according to inclusion criteria and allocated to either a placebo or intervention group. Intervention consisted of thoracic spinal and rib manipulation. Data was collected, pre and post the first treatment and at a 48 hours follow up. SPSS was used to analyse the data with a p value of 0.05. Results: No statistically significant differences were seen between the groups for pain rating, range of motion of the glenohumeral joint, lateral scapula slide test or scapula isometric pinch test. The shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) showed significant (p = 0.04) differences between the groups in terms of disability scores, with the intervention group having a great improvement in disability. No clinically significant differences were observed between the groups. Conclusion: Thoracic spine and rib manipulation appears to improve the disability associated with shoulder impingement syndrome, however further research is required with a larger sample size.