Non-controlled clinical trial OBJECTIVE.: To assess the efficacy of a simple home spinal traction device on sagittal cranio-cervical posture and related symptoms.
Forward head protraction (FHP) and cranio-cervical malalignment were shown to be consequential in the development adverse musculoskeletal radiographic findings and symptoms in that region.
Participants (n = 13, 18 - 36-year-old) were drawn from a mildly symptomatic population, all presented with cranio-cervical malalignment and considerable FHP. Participants used a simple home spinal traction device for 12 weeks, 10 minutes/day. Sagittal cervical radiographs and the SF36 health survey were obtained pre/post intervention and guideline compliance was recorded. Radiographic evaluation included typical measurements of sagittal cranio-cervical alignment and FHP (e.g. atlas plane line, vertical axis line, sagittal cranial angle, absolute rotation angle). Standard paired samples t-tests, CHI Squared and Effect Size analyses were used to assess pre- and post-intervention changes.
Each of the key radiographic variables recorded significant moderate to very large positive changes as a result of the intervention. Similarly, CHI squared analyses indicated that saggital cervical spine configuration tended to become more lordotic (P = 0.007), with four participants shifting from a kyphotic to a lordotic presentation. SF36 health survey data demonstrated mostly significant positive changes throughout all tested domains, and moderate positive changes were recorded across all radiographic cranio-cervical mesured paramenters (e.g. decreased FHP, increased cervical lordosis and cranial extention). Participants indicated high level of protocol compliance.
This study has demonstrated that the unsupervised daily use of a simple home spinal traction device (Thoracic Pillow®) proved effective in bringing positive plastic changes to the sagittal cranio-cervical alignment and reduction in symptoms in the tested population during a short intervention period.
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This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 13. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 21 June 2019.
All research outputs
#3,723,186
of 34,411,289 outputs
Outputs from Spine
#987
of 10,027 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#61,385
of 391,701 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Spine
#9
of 87 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,411,289 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 89th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 10,027 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.2. This one has done well, scoring higher than 89% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 87 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 89% of its contemporaries.
