M.Tech. (Chiropractic) / This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment of chronic lower back pain in conjunction with the use of the Cory knee cushion during sleep as compared with chiropractic treatment alone. The cushion is used in an attempt to improve sleeping posture. It was proposed that both treatment protocols would be effective, but that the combined therapy would show better results. An unblinded, controlled pilot study was conducted. Patients responding to advertisements were recruited from the general population. Thirty patients who conformed to the specified criteria and delimitations were accepted into the study and placed randomly in one of two possible treatment groups. One group received chiropractic adjustments in conjunction with the use of the Cory knee cushion during sleep, the other received chiropractic adjustments alone. Comparisons were performed by means of objective (lumbar spine range of motion) and subjective (Oswestry Pain and Disability Questionnaire, MCGiIl Pain Questionnaire and Visual Analogue Scale) assessments over the eight-week treatment period, with comparisons made at treatments one, four, seven, nine and ten. The results were recorded and the data was statistically analysed using two-sample ttests, paired t-tests, sign rank tests and Mann-Whitney tests. The results indicated that there was a generalised improvement in both of the treatment groups in terms of lumbar spine range of motion and pain relief. While group one attained a better range for rotation after the month break, this was an isolated improvement. Under the circumstances of the research, neither group showed considerably superior results over the other, as there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. Thus, the full benefit of sleeping with a cushion between the knees in an attempt to improve sleeping posture will need additional investigation in order to be of-use as an adjunct to chiropractic treatment.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:3657 |
| Date | 05 February 2014 |
| Creators | King, Bronwen Lynn |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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