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Spinal manipulation for dysmenorrhoea

 

Clinical bottom line

Evidence from several randomised trials indicates that spinal manipulation is ineffective for treating dysmenorrhoea.

Reference


ML Proctor et al. Spinal manipulation for primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2001, issue 4.


Systematic review

The systematic review, though with a 2001 date of most recent amendment, searched to 2004 in a large number of general and specialist databases. No new trials were found in searches up to March 2004. It accepted any randomised trial of manipulative intervention (chiropractic, osteopathy, or manipulative physiotherapy), compared with no treatment, placebo, or sham treatment, or versus each other.

Results

Four small studies were found. None of them had any useful evidence that manipulative therapy was better than anything else. Some of the trials had fewer than 10 patients per group.

Comment

There is absolutely no useful evidence that manipulative therapy works for dysmenorrhoea.