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The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model

Nevner det meste rundt behandling av muskel og skjelett problemer, både usikkerheter, manglende diagnostisk spesifisitet, dårlig forhold mellom forklaringsmodelle og realitet, og foreslår nevrosentriske forklaringsmodeller. Viser til at spesifikk behandling ikke har bedre effekt enn uspesifikk behandling. Og til at den mekaniske teknikken setter igang en kaskade av nevrologiske effekter som resulterer i en behandlingeffekt.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2775050/

Abstract

Prior studies suggest manual therapy (MT) as effective in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain; however, the mechanisms through which MT exerts its effects are not established. In this paper we present a comprehensive model to direct future studies in MT. This model provides visualization of potential individual mechanisms of MT that the current literature suggests as pertinent and provides a framework for the consideration of the potential interaction between these individual mechanisms. Specifically, this model suggests that a mechanical force from MT initiates a cascade of neurophysiological responses from the peripheral and central nervous system which are then responsible for the clinical outcomes. This model provides clear direction so that future studies may provide appropriate methodology to account for multiple potential pertinent mechanisms.

Mechanical Stimulus 

First, only transient biomechanical effects are supported by studies which quantify motion (Colloca et al., 2006;Gal et al., 1997;Coppieters & Butler, 2007;Coppieters & Alshami, 2007) but not a lasting positional change (Tullberg et al., 1998;Hsieh et al., 2002). Second, biomechanical assessment is not reliable. Palpation for position and movement faults has demonstrated poor reliability (Seffinger et al., 2004;Troyanovich et al., 1998) suggesting an inability to accurately determine a specific area requiring MT.  Third, MT techniques lack precision as nerve biased techniques are not specific to a single nerve (Kleinrensink et al., 2000) and joint biased technique forces are dissipated over a large area (Herzog et al., 2001;Ross et al., 2004).

Finally, studies have reported improvements in signs and symptoms away from the site of application such as treating cervical pain with MT directed to the thoracic spine (Cleland et al., 2005;Cleland et al., 2007) and lateral epicondylitis with MT directed to the cervical spine (Vicenzino et al., 1996).

Subsequently, we suggest, that as illustrated by the model, a mechanical force is necessary to initiate a chain of neurophysiological responses which produce the outcomes associated with MT. 

Neurophysiological Mechanism 

Studies have measured associated responses of hypoalgesia and sympathetic activity following MT to suggest a mechanism of action mediated by the periaquaductal gray (Wright, 1995) and lessening of temporal summation following MT to suggest a mechanism mediated by the dorsal horn of the spinal cord (George et al., 2006) The model makes use of directly measurable associated responses to imply specific neurophysiological mechanisms when direct observations are not possible. The model categorizes neurophysiological mechanisms as those likely originating from a peripheral mechanism, spinal cord mechanisms, and/or supraspinal mechanisms.

Peripheral mechanism 

Musculoskeletal injuries induce an inflammatory response in the periphery which initiates the healing process and influences pain processing. Inflammatory mediators and peripheral nociceptors interact in response to injury and MT may directly affect this process. For example, (Teodorczyk-Injeyan et al., 2006) observed a significant reduction of blood and serum level cytokines in individuals receiving joint biased MT which was not observed in those receiving sham MT or in a control group. Additionally, changes of blood levels of β-endorphin, anandamide, N-palmitoylethanolamide, serotonin, (Degenhardt et al., 2007) and endogenous cannabinoids (McPartland et al., 2005) have been observed following MT. Finally, soft tissue biased MT has been shown to alter acute inflammation in response to exercise (Smith et al., 1994) and substance P levels in individuals with fibromyalgia (Field et al., 2002). Collectively, these studies suggest a potential mechanism of action of MT on musculoskeletal pain mediated by the peripheral nervous system for which mechanistic studies may wish to account. 

Spinal mechanisms 

MT may exert an effect on the spinal cord. For example, MT has been suggested to act as a counter irritant to modulate pain (Boal & Gillette, 2004) and joint biased MT is speculated to “bombard the central nervous system with sensory input from the muscle proprioceptors (Pickar & Wheeler, 2001).”Subsequently, a spinal cord mediated mechanism of MT must be considered and is accounted for in the model. Direct evidence for such an effect comes from a study (Malisza et al., 2003b) in which joint biased MT was applied to the lower extremity of rats following capsaicin injection. A spinal cord response was quantified by functional MRI during light touch to the hind paw. A trend was noted towards decreased activation of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord following the MT. The model uses associated neuromuscular responses following MT to provide indirect evidence for a spinal cord mediated mechanism. For example, MT is associated with hypoalgesia (George et al., 2006;Mohammadian et al., 2004;Vicenzino et al., 2001), afferent discharge (Colloca et al., 2000;Colloca et al., 2003), motoneuron pool activity (Bulbulian et al., 2002;Dishman & Burke, 2003), and changes in muscle activity (Herzog et al., 1999;Symons et al., 2000) all of which may indirectly implicate a spinal cord mediated effect.

Supraspinal mechanisms 

Finally, the pain literature suggests the influence of specific supraspinal structures in response to pain. Structures such as the anterior cingular cortex (ACC), amygdala, periaqueductal gray (PAG), and rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) are considered instrumental in the pain experience.(Peyron et al., 2000;Vogt et al., 1996;Derbyshire et al., 1997;Iadarola et al., 1998;Hsieh et al., 1995;Oshiro et al., 2007;Moulton et al., 2005;Staud et al., 2007;Bee & Dickenson, 2007;Guo et al., 2006). Subsequently, the model considers potential supraspinal mechanisms of MT. Direct support for a supraspinal mechanism of action of MT comes from (Malisza et al., 2003a) who applied joint biased MT to the lower extremity of rats following capsaicin injection. Functional MRI of the supraspinal region quantified the response of the hind paw to light touch following the injection. A trend was noted towards decreased activation of the supraspinal regions responsible for central pain processing. The model accounts for direct measures of supraspinal activity along with associated responses such as autonomic responses (Moulson & Watson, 2006;Sterling et al., 2001;Vicenzino et al., 1998) (Delaney et al., 2002;Zhang et al., 2006), and opiod responses (Vernon et al., 1986) (Kaada & Torsteinbo, 1989) to indirectly imply a supraspinal mechanism. Additionally, variables such as placebo, expectation, and psychosocial factors may be pertinent in the mechanisms of MT (Ernst, 2000;Kaptchuk, 2002). For example expectation for the effectiveness of MT is associated with functional outcomes (Kalauokalani et al., 2001) and a recent systematic review of the literature has noted that joint biased MT is associated with improved psychological outcomes (Williams et al., 2007). For this paper we categorize such factors as neurophysiological effects related to supraspinal descending inhibition due to associated changes in the opioid system (Sauro & Greenberg, 2005), dopamine production (Fuente-Fernandez et al., 2006), and central nervous system (Petrovic et al., 2002;Wager et al., 2004;Matre et al., 2006) which have been observed in studies unrelated to MT.

Figure 3 Pathway considering both a spinal cord and supraspinal mediated effect from Bialosky et al (2008)

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Evoked Pain Analgesia in Chronic Pelvic Pain Patients using Respiratory-gated Auricular Vagal Afferent Nerve Stimulation

I medisinsk sammenheng benyttes ofte elektrisk stimuli i øret for å styrke vagusnerven gjennom dens forbindelse til huden i øret. I denne studien viser de at vagus nerven stimuleres best om man synkroniserer stimulien med utpust. Denne kobler altså medisinsk stimuli med pustens stimuli. Men de har ingen oppmerksomhet på mulighetene ved å senke pustefrekvens samtidig.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3376238/

Chronic pain disorders such as CPP are in great need of effective, non-pharmacological options for treatment. RAVANS (Respiratory-gated Auricular Vagal Afferent Nerve Stimulation) produced promising anti-nociceptive effects for QST outcomes reflective of the noted hyperalgesia and central sensitization in this patient population. Future studies should evaluate longer-term application of RAVANS to examine its effects on both QST outcomes and clinical pain.

The analgesic mechanisms of VNS have not been fully elucidated, but are likely mediated by afferent (not efferent) input to supraspinal brain regions [16]. Vagal afference is relayed to the nucleus tractus solitarious (NTS) in the medullary brainstem. Importantly, the NTS also receives somatosensory afference via the auricular branch of the vagus (ABV) nerve from specific portions of the auricle [17]. ABV afference is transmitted to both the NTS [17] and the spinal trigeminal nucleus (SpV) [18], by neurons located in the superior (jugular) ganglion of the vagus nerve. Respiration can modulate NTS activity directly (the lungs are innervated by the vagus nerve) and indirectly. In regard to the latter, inspiration increases venous return to the thorax, which increases arterial pressure, and hence vagal (and glossopharyngeal n.) afference to the NTS via aortic and carotid baroreceptors, respectively [19]. The NTS then inhibits efferent vagal outflow to the heart [2021], leading to a transient inspiratory tachycardia with every breath. This feedback loop is termed “respiratory sinus arrhythmia” [22]. Hence, the dorsal medullary vagal system operates in tune with respiration, and we propose that supplying vagal afferent stimulation gated to the exhalation phase of respiration (i.e. when thoracic baroreceptor afference does not enter the NTS), will optimize t-VNS therapy (see Figure 1 for schematic). Furthermore, such intermittent, irregular stimulation (i.e., varying with respiration) will also mitigate classical neuronal adaptation/accomodation, which can occur with continuous stimulation of NTS neurons [23].

 

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Trigger point dry needling as an adjunct treatment for a patient with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.

Nevner gode resultater på forzen shoulder med nålebehandlng av skuldermuskulatur. Men det er bare beskrivelse av en enkelt case, med 13 behandlinger på 6 uker.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24261931

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN:

Case report.

BACKGROUND:

Prognosis for adhesive capsulitis has been described as self-limiting and can persist for 1 to 3 years. Conservative treatment that includes physical therapy is commonly advised.

CASE DESCRIPTION:

The patient was a 54-year-old woman with primary symptoms of shoulder pain and loss of motion consistent with adhesive capsulitis. Manual physical therapy intervention initially consisted of joint mobilizations of the shoulder region and thrust manipulation of the cervicothoracic region. Although manual techniques seemed to result in some early functional improvement, continued progression was limited by pain. Subsequent examination identified trigger points in the upper trapezius, levator scapula, deltoid, and infraspinatus muscles, which were treated with dry needling to decrease pain and allow for higher grades of manual intervention.

OUTCOMES:

The patient was treated for a total of 13 visits over a 6-week period. After trigger point dry needling was introduced on the third visit, improvements in pain-free shoulder range of motion and functional outcome measures, assessed with the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and the shortened form of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire, exceeded the minimal clinically important difference after 2 treatment sessions. At discharge, the patient had achieved significant improvements in shoulder range of motion in all planes, and outcome measures were significantly improved.

DISCUSSION:

This case report describes the clinical reasoning behind the use of trigger point dry needling in the treatment of a patient with adhesive capsulitis. The rapid improvement seen in this patient following the initiation of dry needling to the upper trapezius, levator scapula, deltoid, and infraspinatus muscles suggests that surrounding muscles may be a significant source of pain in this condition.

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Cytokine Dysregulation, Inflammation and Well-Being

Om hvordan cytokiner kobler nervesystem og immunsystem med betennelser. Den forteller at betennelser er utgangspunktet for de fleste livsstilsykdommer og smertetilstander som følge av autoimmunesykdommer.

http://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/87104

Cytokines mediate and control immune and inflammatory responses. Complex interactions exist between cytokines, inflammation and the adaptive responses in maintaining homeostasis, health, and well-being. Like the stress response, the inflammatory reaction is crucial for survival and is meant to be tailored to the stimulus and time. A full-fledged systemic inflammatory reaction results in stimulation of four major programs: the acute-phase reaction, the sickness syndrome, the pain program, and the stress response, mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Common human diseases such as atopy/allergy, autoimmunity, chronic infections and sepsis are characterized by a dysregulation of the pro- versus anti-inflammatory and T helper (Th)1versus Th2 cytokine balance. Recent evidence also indicates the involvement of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and major depression, and conditions such as visceral-type obesity, metabolic syndrome and sleep disturbances. During inflammation, the activation of the stress system, through induction of a Th2 shift, protects the organism from systemic ‘overshooting’ with Th1/pro-inflammatory cytokines. Under certain conditions, however, stress hormones may actually facilitate inflammation through induction of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein production and through activation of the corticotropin-releasing hormone/substance P-histamine axis. Thus, a dysfunctional neuroendocrine-immune interface associated with abnormalities of the ‘systemic anti-inflammatory feedback’ and/or ‘hyperactivity’ of the local pro-inflammatory factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of atopic/allergic and autoimmune diseases, obesity, depression, and atherosclerosis. These abnormalities and the failure of the adaptive systems to resolve inflammation affect the well-being of the individual, including behavioral parameters, quality of life and sleep, as well as indices of metabolic and cardiovascular health. These hypotheses require further investigation, but the answers should provide critical insights into mechanisms underlying a variety of common human immune-related diseases.

 

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You May Need a Nerve to Treat Pain: The Neurobiological Rationale for Vagal Nerve Activation in Pain Management.

Alt om hvordan vagus nerven demper smerte gjennom 5 mekanismer samtidig: dempe betennelser, dempe sympaticus aktivitet (fight-or-flight), redusere oksidativt stress, aktivere smertedempende områder i hjernen og utløse smertedempende opioider og cannabinoider i kroppen. Den bekrefter også at pusten stimulerer vagusnerven, spesielt når man puster med HRV-synkron pust slik vi gjør i Verkstedet Breathing System Autonom Pust.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24451632

Mer fra Studien her.

Abstract

Pain is a complex common health problem, with important implications for quality of life and with huge economic consequences. Pain can be elicited due to tissue damage, as well as other multiple factors such as inflammation and oxidative stress. Can there be one therapeutic pathway which may target multiple etiologic factors in pain? In the present article, we review evidence for the relationships between vagal nerve activity and pain, and between vagal nerve activity and five factors which are etiologic to or protective in pain. Specifically, vagal nerve activity inhibits inflammation, oxidative stress and sympathetic activity, activates brain regions that can oppose the brain «pain matrix», and finally it might influence the analgesic effects of opioids. Together, these can explain the anti-nociceptive effects of vagal nerve activation or of acetylcholine, the principal vagal nerve neurotransmitter. These findings form an evidence-based neurobiological rationale for testing and possibly implementing different vagal nerve activating treatments in pain conditions. Perspective: In this article, we show evidence for the relationships between vagal nerve activity and pain, and between vagal nerve activity and five factors which are etiologic to pain. Given the evidence and effects of the vagus nerve activation in pain, people involved in pain therapy may need to seriously consider activation of this nerve.

 

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Nocebo: This video will hurt

Om nocebo. Desverre kobler de det kun til «alternative» problemer som strålingssensitivitet. Denne problemstillingen fortjener faktisk mye større oppmerksomhet i legenes, kirurgenes og legemiddelindustriens hverdag. Forskning og legemidisin er nøye med å unngå placebo effekter, men hva hadde skjedd om de hadde vært like nøye med å unngå nocebo effekter?

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Respiratory dysregulation in anxiety, functional cardiac, and pain disorders. Assessment, phenomenology, and treatment.

Nevner at hypokapni (lav CO2) er vanlig hos panikkpasienter, de med hjerte/kar problemer og de med smerteproblemer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11530714

Klikk for å få tilgang til FH%20Wilhelm%20et%20al%20-%20Respiratory%20dysregulation%20review.pdf

Abstract

Respiration is a complex physiological system affecting a variety of physical processes that can act as a critical link between mind and body. This review discusses the evidence for dysregulated breathing playing a role in three clinical syndromes: panic disorder, functional cardiac disorder, and chronic pain. Recent technological advances allowing the ambulatory assessment of endtidal partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) and respiratory patterns have opened up new avenues for investigation and treatment of these disorders. The latest evidence from laboratories indicates that subtle disturbances of breathing, such as tidal volume instability and sighing, contribute to the chronic hypocapnia often found in panic patients. Hypocapnia is also common in functional cardiac and chronic pain disorders, and studies indicate that it mediates some of their symptomatology. Consistent with the role of respiratory dysregulation in these disorders, initial evidence indicates efficacy of respiration-focused treatment.

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Moderate hypercapnia-induced anesthetic effects and endogenous opioids.

Denne nevner hvordan hyperkapni (økt CO2) kan virke smertedempende ved at det demper nocieptive aktivering ved hjelp av opioder. Men studien benyttet seg av ganske høy hypercapni, 87mmHg, noe som sannsynligvis er umulig å få til med pustetrening, hvor vi øker det til 45-50mmHg.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16701947

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to explore the mechanisms of hypercapnia-induced antinociception. We carried out three experiments, the first to confirm whether moderate hypercapnia induces anesthetic effects, the second to determine whether naloxone reverses the anesthetic effects, and the third to evaluate whether beta-endorphin is related to the anesthetic effects. In a pre-test, we determined the optimal CO(2) concentration in a chamber which would cause moderate hypercapnia in rats. Eighteen rats were divided into control, hypercapnia, and hypercapnia plus naloxone groups in experiment 1. The naloxone group rats were injected with naloxone (10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally before gas inhalation. After 60 min gas inhalation, 10% formalin was injected into the left rear paw of all rats, and nociceptive behaviors were observed for 1 h. In experiment 2, 11 rats were divided into control and hypercapnia groups. The brain was removed and fixed under pentobarbital anesthesia. Sections were immunostained for c-Fos and beta-endorphin (ACTH) with the ABC method. All neurons double-labeled for c-Fos and beta-endorphin (ACTH) in the arcuate nucleus were counted by blinded investigators. Moderate hypercapnia (PaCO(2) 83+/-7 mmHg) reduced nociceptive behavior in the formalin test and naloxone pre-treatment attenuated this phenomenon. However, beta-endorphin-producing neurons were not activated by CO(2) inhalation. Endogenous opioids are related to moderate, hypercapnia-induced anesthetic effects, but, beta-endorphin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus were not activated by the CO(2) inhalation stress.

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Uncertainty Increases Pain: Evidence for a Novel Mechanism of Pain Modulation Involving the Periaqueductal Gray

Om at følelsen av usikkerhet gir økt smerte.

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/33/13/5638.full

Predictions about sensory input exert a dominant effect on what we perceive, and this is particularly true for the experience of pain. However, it remains unclear what component of prediction, from an information-theoretic perspective, controls this effect. We used a vicarious pain observation paradigm to study how the underlying statistics of predictive information modulate experience. Subjects observed judgments that a group of people made to a painful thermal stimulus, before receiving the same stimulus themselves. We show that the mean observed rating exerted a strong assimilative effect on subjective pain. In addition, we show that observed uncertainty had a specific and potent hyperalgesic effect. Using computational functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found that this effect correlated with activity in the periaqueductal gray. Our results provide evidence for a novel form of cognitive hyperalgesia relating to perceptual uncertainty, induced here by vicarious observation, with control mediated by the brainstem pain modulatory system.

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Ten Steps to Understanding Manual and Movement Therapies for Pain

Alt om smerte, kort fortalt, fra: http://www.somasimple.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4942
Nothing Simple – Ten Steps to Understanding Manual and Movement Therapies for Pain

1. Pain is a category of complex experiences, not a single sensation produced by a single stimulus.

2. Nociception (warning signals from body tissues) is neither necessary nor sufficient to produce pain. In other words, pain can occur in the absence of tissue damage.

3. A pain experience may be induced or amplified by both actual and potential threats.

4. A pain experience may involve a composite of sensory, motor, autonomic, endocrine, immune, cognitive, affective and behavioural components. Context and meaning are paramount in determining the eventual output response.

5. The brain maps peripheral and central neural processing into each of these components at multiple levels. Therapeutic input at a single level may be sufficient to resolve a threat response.

6. Manual and movement therapies may affect peripheral and central neural processes at various stages:
– transduction of nociception at peripheral sensory receptors
– transmission of nociception in the peripheral nervous system
– transmission of nociception in the central nervous system
– processing and modulation in the brain

7. Therapies that are most likely to be successful are those that address unhelpful cognitions and fear concerning the meaning of pain, introduce movement in a non-threatening internal and external context, and/or convince the brain that the threat has been resolved.

8. The corrective physiological mechanisms responsible for resolution are inherent. A therapist need only provide an appropriate environment for their expression.

9. Tissue length, form or symmetry are poor predictors of pain. The forces applied during common manual treatments for pain generally lack the necessary magnitude and specificity to achieve enduring changes in tissue length, form or symmetry. Where such mechanical effects are possible, the clinical relevance to pain is yet to be established. The predominant effects of manual therapy may be more plausibly regarded as the result of reflexive neurophysiological responses.

10. Conditioning for the purposes of fitness and function or to promote general circulation or exercise-induced analgesia can be performed concurrently but points 6 and 9 above should remain salient.

Bibliography

Books:
Pain: The Science of Suffering – Patrick Wall
The Challenge of Pain – Patrick Wall, Ronald Melzack
Explain Pain – David Butler, Lorimer Moseley
The Sensitive Nervous System – David Butler
Phantoms in the Brain – V. S. Ramachandran
Topical Issues in Pain Vol’s 1-5 – Louis Giffiord (ed)
The Feeling of What Happens – Antonio Damasio
Clinical Neurodynamics – Michael Shacklock
Eyal Lederman – The Science and Practice of Manual Therapy

Research articles:
Melzack R. Pain and the neuromatrix in the brain. J Dental Ed. 2001;65:1378-82.
Craig AD. Pain mechanisms: Labeled lines versus convergence in central processing. Ann Rev Neurosci. 2003;26:130.
Craig AD. How do you feel? Interoception: the sense of the physiological condition of the body. Nature Rev Neurosci. 2002;3:655-66.
Henderson LA, Gandevia SC, Macefield VG. Somatotopic organization of the processing of muscle and cutaneous pain in the left and right insula cortex: A single-trial fMRI study. Pain. 2007;128:20-30.
Olausson H, Lamarre Y, Backlund H, Morin C, Wallin BG, Starck G, Ekholm S, Strigo I, Worsley K, Vallbo AB, Bushnell MC. Unmyelinated tactile afferents signal touch and project to insular cortex. Nature Neurosci. 2002;5:900–904.
Moseley GL. A pain neuromatrix approach to patients with chronic pain. Manual Ther. 2003;8:130-40.
Moseley GL. Unravelling the barriers to reconceptualisation of the problem in chronic pain: The actual and perceived ability of patients and health professionals to understand the neurophysiology. J Pain. 2003;4:184-89.
Moseley GL, Arntz A. The context of a noxious stimulus affects the pain it evokes. Pain. 2007;133(1-3):64-71.
Moseley, GL, Nicholas, MK and Hodges, PW. A randomized controlled trial of intensive neurophysiology education in chronic low back pain. Clin J Pain. 2004;20:324-30.
Crombez G, Vlaeyen JWS, Heuts PH et al. Pain-related fear is more disabling than pain itself. Evidence on the role of pain-related fear in chronic back pain disability. Pain. 1999;80:329-40.
Zusman M. Forebrain-mediated sensitization of central pain pathways: ‘non-specific’ pain and a new image for manual therapy. Manual Ther. 2002;7:80-88.
Dorko B. The analgesia of movement: Ideomotor activity and manual care. J Osteopathic Med. 2003;6:93-95.
Threlkeld AJ. The effects of manual therapy on connective tissue. Phys Ther. 1992;72:893-902.
Lederman E. The myth of core stability. Retrieved at: http://www.ppaonline.co.uk/