Three combinations of manual therapy techniques within naprapathy in the treatment of neck and/or back pain: a randomized controlled trial

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the study population (n = 1057)

	NMT^a	NMT excluding spinal manipulation	NMT excluding stretching
Characteristics	n = 352	n = 352	n = 353
Mean age (SD)	35 (12.2)	36 (11.9)	36 (11.4)
Sex, %
Women	68	72	71
Painful area, %
Back	35	33	33
Neck	54	54	54
Back/Neck	11	13	12
Duration of the
pain, %
1 week	17	16	18
2–4 weeks	29	26	26
1–3 months	18	22	21
3–6 months	9	8	7
>6 months	28	28	27
Similar previous complaints,
%
Yes	73	79	80
Mean pain intensity at baseline^b	5.5	5.4	5.5
(SD)	(1.6)	(1.7)	(1.7)
Mean pain related disability at baseline^c	2.6	2.6	2.6
(SD)	(2.2)	(2.2)	(2.2)
Education, %
1–9 years	3	4	3
10–12	37	39	37
13–15	50	46	46
>16	11	11	14
General Health, %
Excellent	14	17	19
Very Good	46	45	42
Good	34	30	34
Somewhat	6	7	4
Bad	1	-	1
Smoking, %
Daily	18	14	17
Physical activity, %
on medium or high level^d	33	33	43
Mean expectations of recovery^e	6.1	5.9	5.9
(SD)	(3.0)	(2.9)	(2.9)
Previous naprapathic treatment, %
No	44	41	35
Yes, a few times	30	34	34
Yes, several times	26	26	40
Obesity, %	7	8	7

^aNMT = Naprapathic Manual Therapy (spinal manipulation/mobilization, stretching and massage)
^bPain intensity at baseline was based on three pain items: current pain, worst pain, average pain during the past 4 weeks (NRS 0–10 (0 = no pain, 10 = pain as bad it could be)) and calculated as an average pain score for these items
^cDisability at baseline was based on three disability items: interference with daily activities, recreational and social activities, and work activities, measured with numeric rating scale, (NRS 0–10 (0 = no interference, 10 = unable to carry on with these activities)) and calculated as an average disability score for these items
^dPhysical activity = medium (effort that would make it difficult to hold a conversation with someone) or high (you have a high pulse, you feel strained and become sweaty) level at least two times/week
^eExpectations of recovery are measured with NRS 0–10 (0 = not at all likely to be recovered, 10 = very likely to be recovered)

ISSN: 1471-2474