The frequency of positive common spinal clinical examination findings in a sample of premenstrual syndrome sufferers

Abstract

Objective: As part of a randomized clinical trial to determine the efficacy of chiropractic therapy on premenstrual syndrome (PMS), subjects were evaluated for initial underlying spinal dysfunction. Subjects: Fifty-four subjects with diagnosed PMS (using a Moos PMS questionnaire plus daily symptom monintoring) and 30 subjects with no diagnosable PMS were recruited by newspaper advertising and referrals. Design: All subjects underwent a full history and physical and chiropractic examination carried out by 1 of 2 fully qualified and registered chiropractors, each with a minimum of 10 years experience. The results of the assessment for the PMS group were compared with those of the non-PMS group. Setting: RMIT teaching clinics. Data Analysis: The data collected were entered into a spread sheet and contigency tables were created. The data were analyzed by use of chi-squared tests, with the statistical significance being set at P < .05. Results: The PMS group had a higher percentage of positive responses for each of 12 measured spinal dysfunction indexes except for range of motion of the low back. The indexes where the increase was statistically significant ( P < .05) were cervical, thoracic, and low back tenderness, low back orthopedic testing, low back muscle weakness, and the neck disability index. An average of 5.4 of the 12 indexes were positive for the PMS group compared with 3.0 for the non-PMS group. Conclusions: A relatively high incidence of spinal dysfunction exists in PMS sufferers compared with a comparable group of non-PMS sufferers. This is suggestive that spinal dysfunction could be a causative factor in PMS and that chiropractic manipulative therapy may offer an alternative therapeutic approach for PMS sufferers. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1999;22:216–20)