NCT04972929Completed
Effects of Chiropractic Care on Cytokine Levels in Multiple Sclerosis
Effects of Chiropractic Care on Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Cytokine Levels in Multiple Sclerosis
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 20 Jul 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease associated with an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory markers (cytokines) resulting in a demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease. There is early evidence that spinal manipulation (chiropractic care) is better than control in influencing immune (cytokine) activity in asymptomatic participants, but few studies have been completed in participants with chronic inflammatory conditions, such as MS. The purpose of this project is to examine the immediate (after a single thoracic spinal manipulation treatment) and summative impact (after 8 thoracic spinal manipulation treatments occurring over 4 weeks) on pro-inflammatory (interleukin (IL) IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10) plasma cytokines 20 minutes and 2 hours after thoracic spinal manipulation in participants diagnosed with neuroinflammatory relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS). Spinal manipulation treatment will be limited to the thoracic spine. Secondary outcomes will include determining the impact of 8 thoracic spinal manipulations on fatigue, cognitive processing speed, pain, depression, sleep, and motor function through questionnaires and performance of various in assessments such as the timed 25 foot walk test.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 26 (actual)
- First submitted
- 27 Apr 2021
- Start date
- 15 Sept 2023
- Primary completion date
- 12 Mar 2025
- Lead sponsor
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Diseases
- Multiple sclerosis
- NCT number
- NCT04972929
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 26
- From 15 Sept 2023 to the primary completion date, 12 Mar 2025
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic pressure \>160 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure \>95 mmHg) Any past spinal surgery or recent history of bone fractures
Other
- Pregnancy in the last 12 months
- Unable to understand English or follow simple instruction.
Who the study is looking for
- Age 18 to 55 years
- Physician-confirmed diagnosis of MS within the last 5 years
- Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score below 4 based on Neurostatus-certified examination
- Relapse free in the last 30 days
- No known cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disease
- Currently on stable FDA-approved disease modifying therapy (eg, interferon beta-1a or beta-1b, natalizumab etc.)
- Naïve to chiropractic care
- No contraindications to spinal manipulation
- Acceptance of informed consent.
Age in the registry: 18 years to 55 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Birmingham | United States | Unknown status |
Related publications
- Effects of thoracic manipulation with trigger point therapy on inflammatory cytokine levels in individuals with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.Front Rehabil Sci · 2026 · PMID 42028147
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.