Comparative Effectiveness of 2 Manual Therapy Techniques in the Management of Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Dowling's and Mulligan's manual therapy techniques on pain and disability in the management of lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy (LDHR). MethodsA total of 40 individuals with LDHR were randomly allocated into 2 groups, 20 participants each in PINS and SMWLM groups. Each participant was assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks postintervention. The primary outcomes measured were pain (visual analog scale) and disability (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire). Secondary variables were quality of life (Short-Form 36 Health Survey), sciatica bothersomeness (Sciatica Bothersomeness Index), sciatica frequency (Sciatica Frequency Index), and general perception of recovery (Global Rating of Change Scale). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compute within-group and between-groups interactions. ResultsNo significant differences were observed in the baseline characteristics of participants in both groups. The results indicate that there were significant time effects for all outcomes in the study (P < .001) within each group. However, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups on any outcome variable (P > .05). ConclusionThe findings indicate that there was no difference in pain or disability between the 2 manual therapy techniques in the management of LDHR.