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Effects of Chiropractic Care on Cytokine Levels in Multiple Sclerosis
Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease associated with an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory markers (cytokines) resulting in a demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease. There is early evidence that spinal manipulation (chiropractic care) is better than control in influencing immune (cytokine) activity in asymptomatic participants, but few studies have been completed in participants with chronic inflammatory conditions, such as MS. The purpose of this project is to examine the immediate (after a single thoracic spinal manipulation treatment) and summative impact (after 8 thoracic spinal manipulation treatments occurring over 4 weeks) on pro-inflammatory (interleukin (IL) IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10) plasma cytokines 20 minutes and 2 hours after thoracic spinal manipulation in participants diagnosed with neuroinflammatory relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS). Spinal manipulation treatment will be limited to the thoracic spine. Secondary outcomes will include determining the impact of 8 thoracic spinal manipulations on fatigue, cognitive processing speed, pain, depression, sleep, and motor function through questionnaires and performance of various in assessments such as the timed 25 foot walk test.
Official title: Effects of Chiropractic Care on Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Cytokine Levels in Multiple Sclerosis
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 55 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
26
Start Date
2023-09-15
Completion Date
2025-03-12
Last Updated
2026-07-20
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Spinal Manipulation
Diversified (i.e. crossed bilateral hypothenar contact) chiropractic technique will be administered at levels of identified spinal joint restriction/dysfunction (derived from thoracic spine x-rays, static and motion palpation, and confirmed or provoked localized tenderness in paraspinal soft tissues).
Sham Spinal Manipulation
Sham-SM will be delivered by setting the expansion control knob on an Activator II (Activator Methods®, Phoenix AZ) device to the zero position (off; no thrust) and placed onto the dorsal thumb surface of the clinician (no actual instrument contact with study participant). At a setting of zero, no excursion of the Activator II stylus occurs, despite the device delivering an audible clicking sound, with no biomechanical force being imparted to the participant.
Locations (1)
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States