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Incomplete reporting of manual therapy interventions and a lack of clinician and setting diversity in clinical trials for neck pain limits replication and real-world translation. A scoping review.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Leech, JB; Owen, WE; Young, JL; Rhon, DI
Published in: J Man Manip Ther
June 2023

INTRODUCTION: Neck pain is a leading cause of disability, and manual therapy (MT) is a common intervention used across disciplines and settings to treat it. While there is consistent support for MT in managing neck pain, questions remain about the feasibility of incorporating MT from research into clinical practice. The purpose of this scoping review was to assess the adequacy of MT intervention descriptions and the variability in clinician and setting for MT delivery in trials for neck pain. METHODS: Medline (via PubMed), CINAHL, PEDRo, and the Cochrane Central Registry for Controlled Trials were searched for clinical trials published from January 2010 to November 2021. A 11-item tool modified from the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template was used to assess appropriateness of intervention reporting. Clinicians, subclassifications of neck pain, and clinical settings were also extracted. RESULTS: 113 trials were included. A low percentage of studies provided the recommended level of detail in the description of how MT was delivered (4.4%), while 39.0% included no description at all. Just over half of trials included clinician's qualifications (58.4%), dose of MT (59.3%), and occurrence of adverse events (55.8%). The proportion of trials with clinicians delivering MT were physical therapists (77.9%), chiropractors (10.6%), and osteopaths (2.7%). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: These results reveal incomplete reporting of essential treatment parameters, and a lack of clinician diversity. To foster reproducibility, researchers should report detailed descriptions of MT interventions. Future research should incorporate a variety of MT practitioners to improve generalizability.

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Published In

J Man Manip Ther

DOI

EISSN

2042-6186

Publication Date

June 2023

Volume

31

Issue

3

Start / End Page

153 / 161

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Orthopedics
  • Neck Pain
  • Neck
  • Musculoskeletal Manipulations
  • Humans
  • Exercise Therapy
  • 4207 Sports science and exercise
  • 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
 

Citation

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Leech, J. B., Owen, W. E., Young, J. L., & Rhon, D. I. (2023). Incomplete reporting of manual therapy interventions and a lack of clinician and setting diversity in clinical trials for neck pain limits replication and real-world translation. A scoping review. J Man Manip Ther, 31(3), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2022.2113295
Leech, Joseph B., William E. Owen, Jodi L. Young, and Daniel I. Rhon. “Incomplete reporting of manual therapy interventions and a lack of clinician and setting diversity in clinical trials for neck pain limits replication and real-world translation. A scoping review.J Man Manip Ther 31, no. 3 (June 2023): 153–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2022.2113295.
Leech, Joseph B., et al. “Incomplete reporting of manual therapy interventions and a lack of clinician and setting diversity in clinical trials for neck pain limits replication and real-world translation. A scoping review.J Man Manip Ther, vol. 31, no. 3, June 2023, pp. 153–61. Pubmed, doi:10.1080/10669817.2022.2113295.

Published In

J Man Manip Ther

DOI

EISSN

2042-6186

Publication Date

June 2023

Volume

31

Issue

3

Start / End Page

153 / 161

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Orthopedics
  • Neck Pain
  • Neck
  • Musculoskeletal Manipulations
  • Humans
  • Exercise Therapy
  • 4207 Sports science and exercise
  • 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science
  • 3202 Clinical sciences