Advancing health promotion through massage therapy practice: A cross-sectional survey study.

The human resources needed to provide health promotion services to improve health behaviors in populations are currently limited. Health promotion and education is included in the definition of massage therapy, and many within the massage therapy profession understand that health promotion and education are a part of massage therapy practice. However, the amounts and types of health promotion activities in massage therapy practice have not been thoroughly explored.

Shoe Orthotics for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of shoe orthotics with and without chiropractic treatment for chronic low back pain compared with no treatment.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Integrative medicine teaching clinic at a university.

A pilot randomized controlled trial of flexion-distraction dosage for chiropractic treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot clinical trial was to assess the feasibility of recruiting older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) into a clinical trial that used different dosages of flexion-distraction manipulation.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial used a 4-group design. Three groups consisted of chiropractic flexion-distraction manipulation applied at different dosages (8, 12, or 18 treatments).

Magnetic resonance imaging zygapophyseal joint space changes (gapping) in low back pain patients following spinal manipulation and side-posture positioning: a randomized controlled mechanisms trial with blinding.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to quantify lumbar zygapophyseal (Z) joint space separation (gapping) in low back pain (LBP) subjects after spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) or side-posture positioning (SPP).

Methods: This was a controlled mechanisms trial with randomization and blinding. Acute LBP subjects (N = 112; four n = 28 magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] protocol groups) had 2 MRI appointments (initial enrollment and after 2 weeks of chiropractic treatment, receiving 2 MRI scans of the L4/L5 and L5/S1 Z joints at each MRI appointment.

Quantification of cavitation and gapping of lumbar zygapophyseal joints during spinal manipulative therapy.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to use previously validated methods to quantify and relate 2 phenomena associated with chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (SMT): (1) cavitation and (2) the simultaneous gapping (separation) of the lumbar zygapophyseal (Z) joint spaces.

Methods: This was a randomized, controlled, mechanistic clinical trial with blinding. Forty healthy participants (18-30 years old) without a history of low-back pain participated.

Distribution of cavitations as identified with accelerometry during lumbar spinal manipulation.

Objective: This project determined the location and distribution of cavitations (producing vibrations and audible sounds) in the lumbar zygapophyseal (Z) joints that were targeted by spinal manipulative therapy (SMT).

Methods: This randomized, controlled, clinical study assessed 40 healthy subjects (20 men, 20 women) 18 to 30 years of age who were block randomized into SMT (group 1, n = 30) or side-posture positioning only (group 2; control, n = 10) groups. Nine accelerometers were placed on each patient (7 on spinous processes/sacral tubercles of L1-S2 and 2 placed 3 cm left and right lateral to the L4/L5 interspinous space).

Recruitment methods and costs for a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of chiropractic care for lumbar spinal stenosis: a single-site pilot study.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe the methods for recruitment in a clinical trial on chiropractic care for lumbar spinal stenosis.

Methods: This randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study investigated the efficacy of different amounts of total treatment dosage over 6 weeks in 60 volunteer subjects with lumbar spinal stenosis. Subjects were recruited for this study through several media venues, focusing on successful and cost-effective strategies.