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Natcher Conference Center
National Institutes of Health
June 9-10, 2005
Manipulating Pain and Inflammation
Jon D. Levine, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine (Divisions of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, and Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics), Division of Neuroscience, Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California
There is a long and very extensive history of somatic manipulations for the treatment of signs and symptoms of disease from every corner of the world. While it is difficult to study these therapeutic modalities in double-blind placebo controlled studies, the universality of this type of therapy strongly suggests it has a role in the treatment of a variety of clinical conditions, and certainly its side-effect profile is outstanding. The two most common uses of these treatments have been in the treatment of pain, a symptom responsible for great morbidity in society, and inflammatory diseases, among the most common and disabling medical conditions. Discussion of mechanisms by which manipulative therapies may influence pain and inflammation will focus on: 1) visceral, 2) stressful, and 3) painful manipulations. These interventions will be discussed in terms of their use as complementary as well as alternative therapies.
