The addition of thoracic mobilization to aerobic exercise did not alter autonomic function and pain pressure threshold acutely in asymptomatic young people: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the influence of acute aerobic exercise (AE) plus thoracic mobilization in pain perception and autonomic nervous system response in healthy adults. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. METHODS: Forty-eight asymptomatic adults were allocated into one of three groups: 1) Aerobic Exercise (AE), 2) Aerobic Exercise + Mobilization (AE + M), and 3) Placebo. Participants from groups AE and AE + M ran for 5 min on a treadmill with a 75-85% of age-predicted heart rate. Participants from AE + M group also received a rotatory thoracic passive accessory intervertebral mobilization at T4 after running. Participants from the Placebo group received placebo mobilization. We mesured the autonomic system modulation through Heart Rate Variability (HRV) (time-domain, frequency-domain, and non-linear variables). We measured Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) with a handheld digital algometer. RESULTS: While aerobic exercise increased the sympathetic outflow and reduced the HRV, the addition of vertebral mobilization to exercise had no further effect on autonomic system modulation. There was no change in PPT in any group. Besides, there was no correlation between HRV and PPT. CONCLUSION: Thoracic mobilization did not increase the sympathetic response induced by aerobic exercise. Moreover, exercise alone or exercise plus thoracic mobilization did not change the PPT.

Short-Term Effects of Different Rates of Thoracic Mobilization on Pressure Pain Thresholds in Asymptomatic Individuals: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to determine the effects of different rates of thoracic spine passive accessory intervertebral mobilization (PAIVM) on pressure pain threshold (PPT) at T4. The secondary aim was to investigate the widespread effects of different rates of thoracic PAIVM. METHODS: Twenty asymptomatic participants were randomly assigned to 3 experimental conditions: posteroanterior rotatory thoracic PAIVM at 2 Hz, 0.5 Hz, and placebo. Each participant received all 3 experimental conditions in a random order with a washout period of at least 48 hours between each procedure. The PPT was measured in 3 different points: pre-treatment, immediately after, and 15 minutes after the treatment at C7 and T4 spinous process, first interossei dorsal on the right and left hands and tibial tuberosity bilaterally. A repeated-measures analysis of covariance adjusted by baseline values was used to assess between-group differences at each point. Pairwise comparisons were adjusted for multiple tests with a Bonferroni correction. A P value < .05 was considered significant. RESULTS: There was no between-group differences on PPT at T4 when comparing 0.5 Hz (mean difference -0.29; 95% CI -0.99 to 0.42; P = .999) or 2 Hz (mean difference -0.37; 95% CI -1.1 to 0.33; P = .528) to placebo. CONCLUSION: None of the mobilization techniques in this study (0.5 Hz, 2 Hz, and placebo) showed a significant change of PPT both locally and at distant sites at any point in asymptomatic participants.