Cavitation sounds during spinal manipulative treatments.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to confirm a practitioner's perception of cavitation during spinal manipulative therapy in a clinically relevant situation using accelerometer recordings.

DESIGN

Experimental study.

SETTING

Human Performance Laboratory and Sports Medicine Center, University of Calgary.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-eight patients from a single practitioner's patient pool who had pain in the area of the thoracic spine.

INTERVENTION

Spinal manipulative treatment (SMT) on the transverse process of T4 using a reinforced unilateral contact and delivering a thrust in the posterior to anterior direction.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Instantaneous acceleration signals obtained from the spinous process of T3 during SMT and the practitioner's perception if cavitation had occurred or not at the end of each treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

It appears that cavitation may be measured during SMT using accelerometry and that a practitioner's perception of the occurrence of cavitation during SMT is very accurate.