Neural mobilization in low back and radicular pain: a systematic review
One article on PainSci cites Peacock 2022: Neurodynamic Stretching
PainSci notes on Peacock 2022:
A review of eight studies of neural mobilization for back pain specifically, six of them with results in the “technically positive” category, but nothing impressive. As with Basson in 2017, there’s barely enough data to review, let alone for a rigorous meta-analysis. This is good fuel for wishful thinking for now, and that’s about it.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
BACKGROUND: Low back pain can present with radicular pain caused by lumbosacral nerve root pathology. Neural mobilization (NM) is a treatment technique used to treat low back and radicular pain (LBRP).
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of NM interventions in improving pain, disability, and function in adults with LBRP.
DATA SOURCES: CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE (Ovid), Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Cochrane databases were searched.
STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of NM on pain, disability, and/or function in adults with LBRP.
DATA EXTRACTION: Authors reviewed studies and used the PEDro scale and the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool to assess methodological quality and risk of bias.
DATA SYNTHESIS: Eight studies were included. Six of the eight studies found the addition of NM to conservative treatment improved all measured outcomes. One study found improvements in some but not all functional measures, and delayed improvements in pain. One study found improvements in measures of neural sensitivity, but not overall pain and disability.
CONCLUSIONS: NM may be an effective tool for short-term improvements in pain, function, and disability associated with LBRP. Additional high quality research is needed.
STUDY REGISTRATION: This systematic review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42020192338).
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.
- Inciting events associated with lumbar disc herniation. Suri 2010 Spine J.
- Prediction of an extruded fragment in lumbar disc patients from clinical presentations. Pople 1994 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
- Characteristics of patients with low back and leg pain seeking treatment in primary care: baseline results from the ATLAS cohort study. Konstantinou 2015 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial. Kuyken 2022 Evid Based Ment Health.