The treatment and rationale for the correction of a cervical kyphosis spinal deformity in a cervical asymptomatic young female: a Chiropractic BioPhysics® case report with follow-up.
Paul A Oakley, Sean Z Kallan, Lance D Haines and 1 others
PMID 37131346WHAT IT FOUND
A single asymptomatic patient received chiropractic traction and exercises for 59 weeks.
Imaging showed a 40-degree correction of cervical kyphosis, but the curve partially relapsed after 3.5 years of minimal follow-up care. This describes one person's radiographic change, not proof that treatment prevents future symptoms.
Key findings
01The patient's cervical spine curve improved from a 14.8-degree kyphosis to a 25.2-degree lordosis after 107 treatments over 59 weeks.
02At the 3.5-year follow-up, the correction had partially reversed, with the curve settling at a 6.6-degree lordosis.
03The patient reported her shoulder pain resolved from 1.5/10 to 0/10, though she had no neck symptoms at the start.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a single case report, so it cannot prove that the treatment works for other patients. The study population was asymptomatic for neck pain, so it does not demonstrate relief for patients with existing neck complaints. The correction was measured by X-ray, not by patient function or pain, and the structural change partially reversed when treatment stopped. Multiple treatments (manipulation, traction, exercise) were given simultaneously, so it is impossible to know which one caused the change.
Declared interests
Two of the authors have financial ties to the treatment method being studied: one is a paid consultant for the CBP NonProfit, and the other is the CEO of Chiropractic BioPhysics and sells related equipment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the radiographic change as clinical improvement. The patient had no neck pain at the start, so the 'successful' outcome is purely visual. Furthermore, the curve relapsed significantly over time, meaning the structural correction was not permanent without ongoing, intensive maintenance.