The effect of cervical spine manipulation compared to muscle energy technique on neck muscle activity and range of motion in asymptomatic participants (original) (raw)

Background: Clinical evidence supports the use of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and muscle energy technique (MET) for the treatment of cervical spine dysfunctions. However, the physiologic mechanism behind their effectiveness is not well understood. Joint dysfunctions are associated with hypertonicity of segmentally related muscles and can occur in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Neck pain (NP) has been associated with cervical muscle dysfunction, due to the presence of altered muscle activity and impaired kinematics, demonstrated in NP patients. This includes the upper trapezius and posterior cervical muscles, whose dysfunction can be a source of NP. Spinal manipulative therapy and MET are mechanical interventions, that when applied to joint dysfunctions, produce neurophysiological changes, specifically the modulation of muscle activity and improved range of motion (ROM). However, the demonstration and comparison of the neurophysiological effects of SMT and MET i...