Effects of Manual Therapy on Pain and Function of Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine how a manual therapy (joint mobilization and flexion-distraction technique) would af- fect pain and function with the chronic low back pain. Methods: Thirty patients were assigned to either the experimental group (n=15) or the control group (n=15). Patients in the experi- mental group performed joint mobilization and flexion-distraction technique. Patients in the control group performed spinal decompress- sion therapy. Both exercises were performed for three days per week, for a period of six weeks. Pain was measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and functional disability was measured using the Oswestry disability index (ODI). A paired t-test was used for identify differ ences before and after treatment, and an independent t-test was used to identify differences between treatment groups. Results: In the within group comparison, the experimental group and control group differed significantly for all variables (p 0.05). Conclusion: The above results confirmed that it is necessary to confirm the various benefits of therapy with the joint mobilization and the flexion-distraction technique. The findings of the concerned study will be useful to doctors applying therapy to treat patients with the chronic low back pain.