Spinal Manipulation in Physical Therapy, Death Throes in Research

Basis for spinal manipulative therapy: a physical therapist perspective. Bialosky JE, Simon CB, Bishop MD, George SZ. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2012 Oct;22(5):643-7. [Free Full Text] My comments: This paper has an extremely well referenced number of facts seemingly leading to one conclusion, that oddly appears to escape the authors. I think this paper was intended … Read more

Manipulation vs Mobilization for Acute Low Back Pain, Neither Work

Spinal manipulative therapy for acute low-back pain. Rubinstein SM, Terwee CB, Assendelft WJ, de Boer MR, van Tulder MW. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Sep 12;9 AbstractBACKGROUND:Many therapies exist for the treatment of low-back pain including spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), which is a worldwide, extensively practiced intervention. This report is an update of the earlier Cochrane … Read more

McKenzie Method as Lackluster as Back School for Back Pain

Effectiveness of back school versus McKenzie exercises in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Garcia AN, Costa Lda C, da Silva TM, Gondo FL, Cyrillo FN, Costa RA, Costa LO. Physical Therapy. 2013 Jun;93(6):729-47. AbstractBACKGROUND:Back School and McKenzie methods are popular active treatment approaches that include both exercises and information … Read more

Hard Times for McKenzie Method, Low Back Pain

The McKenzie method for low back pain: a systematic review of the literature with a meta-analysis approach. Spine. 2006 Apr 20;31(9) Machado LA, de Souza Mv, Ferreira PH, Ferreira ML. From the study: “Eleven trials of mostly high quality were included. McKenzie reduced pain (weighted mean difference [WMD] on a 0- to 100-point scale, -4.16 … Read more

Low Back Pain: Use of Biopsychosocial Model Does Not Improve Outcomes

Twenty-five years with the biopsychosocial model of low back pain-is it time to celebrate? A report from the twelfth international forum for primary care research on low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013 Nov 15;38(24):2118-23. From the review: “The biopsychosocial model of back pain has become a dominant model in the conceptualization of the … Read more

Rotation Stretch Increases Low Back Pain and Decreases Spine Stability

Low back pain development response to sustained trunk axial twisting. Eur Spine J. 2013 Sep;22(9):1972-8. From the study:METHODS:Sixteen male pain-free university students volunteered for this study. The trunk axial twisting was created by a torsion moment of 50 Nm for 10-min duration. The axial rotational creep was estimated by the transverse camera view directly on … Read more

Low Back Pain: Cyclic and Static Spine Flexion Both Bad for the Back

Human lumbar spine creep during cyclic and static flexion: creep rate, biomechanics, and facet joint capsule strain. Ann Biomed Eng. 2005 Mar;33(3):391-401. From the study: Abstract There is a high incidence of low back pain (LBP) associated with occupations requiring sustained and/or repetitive lumbar flexion (SLF and RLF, respectively), which cause creep of the viscoelastic … Read more

EMS Decreases Back Pain, Increases Core Strength, Endurance

“Effects of electrical stimulation program on trunk muscle strength, functional capacity, quality of life, and depression in the patients with low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatol Int. 2009 Jun;29(8):947-54.” Right now this is my favorite electric muscle stimulation (EMS) study with regards to low back pain as I read it soon after I … Read more