Effect of Spinal Manipulation Thrust Magnitude on Trunk Mechanical Thresholds of Lateral Thalamic Neurons

Effect of Spinal Manipulation Thrust Magnitude on Trunk Mechanical Thresholds of Lateral Thalamic Neurons

A ChiroSecure Research Update

Abstract: High velocity low amplitude spinal manipulation (HVLA-SM), as performed by manual therapists (eg, doctors of chiropractic and osteopathy) results in mechanical hypoalgesia in clinical settings. This hypoalgesic effect has previously been attributed to alterations in peripheral and/or central pain processing.

The objective of this study was to determine whether thrust magnitude of a simulated High velocity low amplitude spinal manipulation (HVLA-SM) alters mechanical trunk response thresholds in wide dynamic range (WDR) and/or nociceptive specific (NS) lateral thalamic neurons.

Discussion: Extracellular recordings were carried out in the thalamus of 15 anesthetized Wistar rats. Lateral thalamic neurons having receptive fields which included the lumbar dorsal-lateral trunk were characterized as either WDR (n=22) or NS (n=25). Response thresholds to electronic von Frey (rigid tip) mechanical trunk stimuli were determined in three directions (dorsal-ventral, 45°caudalward, and 45°cranialward) prior to and immediately following the dorsal-ventral delivery of a 100ms HVLA-SM at three thrust magnitudes (control, 55%, 85% body weight; (BW)).

There was a significant difference in mechanical threshold between 85% BW manipulation and control thrust magnitudes in the dorsal-ventral direction in NS neurons (p=.01). No changes were found in WDR neurons at either HVLA-SM thrust magnitude.

Conclusion: This study is the first to investigate the effect of HVLA-SM thrust magnitude on WDR and NS lateral thalamic mechanical response threshold. Our data suggest that at the single lateral thalamic neuron level, there may be a minimal spinal manipulative thrust magnitude required to elicit an increase in trunk mechanical response thresholds.

Reference: Reed WR, Pickar JG, Sozio RS, Long CR. Effect of spinal manipulation thrust magnitude on trunk mechanical activation thresholds of lateral thalamic neurons. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2014 Jun;37(5):277-86. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.04.001. PMID: 24928636; PMCID: PMC4116806.