Inflammatory response following a short-term course of chiropractic treatment in subjects with and without chronic low back pain.

Objective: Inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have not been evaluated in response to a short course of lumbar spinal manipulation. The purpose of this study is to observe the responses of inflammatory markers (IL-6 and CRP) after a series of 9 chiropractic spinal manipulations.
Methods: Twenty-one participants were assigned to a treatment or a control group. Only the treatment group received 9 chiropractic interventions. Pre- and postintervention measures were recorded for blood samples for detection of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and CRP.
Results: Mediators of inflammation (IL-6 and high-sensitivity CRP) were modified by the intervention received in the treatment group, and the effect size demonstrated a tendency toward the control group values.
Conclusion: A total of 9 chiropractic lower back manipulations caused the mediators of inflammation to present a normalization response in individuals suffering from chronic low back pain.
(Copyright © 2010 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)