Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40493917›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of manual & manipulative therapy2026

Effects of manually applied force control training in physiotherapy students and experienced manual therapists.

Rafał Gnat, Anna Gogola, Tomasz Wolny, Maciej Biały, Adam Muzalewski

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Rafał GnatThe Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-8862-9895
Anna GogolaThe Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-4146-3461
Tomasz WolnyThe Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland.
Maciej BiałyThe Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-8150-7513
Adam MuzalewskiGood Shepherd Hospital, Allentown, PA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundManual therapists use manually applied physical force as their medium to achieve expected therapeutic effects. Force control ability based on proprioception is highly demanded for efficient 'hands-on' work and in the education process of manual therapy.

objectiveThe aim of the presented study is to investigate the effects of manually applied, device-assisted force control training in manual therapy students and experienced manual therapists.

designA quasi-experimental design was applied with 2 groups of volunteers (students and experienced manual therapists), intervention in the form of 20-session manually applied, device-assisted force control training, and 3 measurements of dependent variables (baseline, post-training and 1-month follow-up).

methodForce reproduction tests with no visual control were performed using a force plate and electronic dynamometer. Force control training was implemented using regular kitchen scales. A minimum of 1000 force reproduction trials was carried out during the training. Absolute errors of force reproduction were calculated.

resultsIn the post-training and follow up-measurements students made significantly larger absolute errors than therapists. In follow-up they completely returned to their initial status, while the therapists retained much of the skills they had acquired.

conclusionsDevice-assisted force control training reduces the magnitude of the force reproduction error in students and therapists. Therapists seem to retain more of the training gains. Further research should consider effects of a mixed form of force control training (with human-partner and device-assisted ones) implemented for the longer periods of time. This could bring a new quality to the process of manual therapist education.

Indexed as

Musculoskeletal ManipulationsPhysical TherapistsAdultClinical CompetenceFemaleHumansMaleProprioceptionStudents, Health OccupationsYoung Adultcontrolforcemanual therapyproprioceptiontactile skills

Identifiers

PMID40493917
PMCPMC13061066

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.