The effect of upper cervical or sacroiliac manipulation on hip flexion range of motion

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of an upper cervical manipulation and a manipulation of the sacroiliac joint for increasing hip range of moti on. Design: Clinical cohort study. Setting: Macquarie University Centre for Chiropractic Outpatient Clinic. Sample: Fifty-two randomly chosen university students aged 18 to 34 yr. Method: A reliable hand-held dynamometer was used to determine the end poin t of range of motion before and after the application of a treatment. Three groups of subjects were created: cervical manipulation, sacroiliac manipul ation and sham/placebo. Range of motion of the hip in flexion (SLR) was use d as the independent variable. Results: The two manipulative treatments resulted in increased flexion rang e of motion at the hip. Statistical analysis revealed that only the upper c ervical manipulation procedure increased hip flexion range of motion signif icantly. Conclusion: The results suggest that manual therapy of the neck may affect hip range of motion in normal adults. Findings such as these may indicate t he existence of a link between the cervical spine and the lower extremity.