PAIN, RANGE OF MOTION AND BACK STRENGTH IN CHRONIC MECHANICAL LOW BACK PAIN BEFORE & AFTER LUMBAR MOBILISATION

Background:Joint mobilisations in the spine are used as an integral part of the treatment and rehabilitation toalleviate pain and reduce stiffness. Mobilisation has also been used to improve muscle strength as described inthe literature. However, there is dearth of data exploring the effect of mobilisation on muscle strength in CLBP.Purpose:To investigate the effects of lumbar mobilisation on pain, range of motion and back strength chronicmechanical low back pain patients.Materials and Methods:Thirty subjects with chronic back pain partici-pated in the randomized clinical trial. The effects of lumbar mobilisation & exercises were comparedwith theexercises alone. Pain levels were measured using visual analog scale, lumbar extension range of motion usingmodified Schobers test and strength by back-leg-chest dynamometer. Measurements were done before & after2 and 4 weeks respectively.Results:A significantly greater improvement in pain (p=0.001); ROM (p=0.002);strength (p=0.001) after 4 weeks in experimental group than the control group.Conclusion:This study there-fore provides experimental evidence to support the use of lumbar mobilization along with the exercises for themanagement of patients with chronic mechanical low back pain, who responded favourably to the interven-tion.