Comparison of Efficacy of Straight Leg Raise with Neural Tissue Mobilization And Slump Stretching on Pain in Patients with Sciatica.

Introduction: Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain that caused by compression and irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back and radiates to buttock and lower limb. Numbness and muscular weakness can occur which leads to difficulty in moving or controlling the leg. Both the straight leg raise and slump stretching techniques have been used in the treatment of sciatica with distal symptoms. So the purpose of the study was to compare and to determine which among the two techniques was clinically more effective than the other. Also, it will add to the evidence for their effectiveness in managing symptoms in patients with sciatica. Aim: The study aimed to compare the efficacy of straight leg raise with neural tissue mobilization and slump stretching on pain in patients with sciatica. Methodology: 30 participants were divided into group A and B, 15 each group according to inclusion criteria using simple random sampling. Group A received straight leg raise with neural tissue mobilization and group B received slump stretching for 6 days. Both group participants received moist heat pack to hamstring for 10 minutes before applying the two techniques. The outcome measure was pain which was assessed at baseline and after 6 days of treatment protocol. Result: Straight Leg Raise with Neural Tissue Mobilization proved to be more effective (mean 1.2, p value .001) than Slump Stretching in patients with Sciatica. Conclusion: The present study showed that both techniques were useful in reducing pain in patients with sciatica but on inter group comparison we found that straight leg raise with neural tissue mobilization was more effective in reducing pain than Slump Stretching in patients with sciatica.