The effect of mobilisation on pressure pain thresholds in the lumbar spine

Mobilisation is a common technique used by manual therapists in the treatment of spinal pain, but there has been little investigation into its effect on pain in the lumbar region. The aim of this study is to determine the immediate effects of mobilisation on pressure pain thresholds (PPT) in the lumbar spine in an asymptomatic population. Analysis of pre and post intervention PPT values showed that there was only minimal increase in PPT in the mobilisation group and a decrease in the sham group. Paired t-tests indicated that there was no significant change following mobilisation and the effect size was small. When the different scores of the 2 groups were analyzed with an independent t-test, a significant difference between groups was found. Extension mobilisation of the lumbar spine did not produce any significant improvement in PPT in an asymptomatic population. Further research on the effectiveness of mobilisation, as well as other manual interventions, for low back pain is recommended. This minor thesis was written by a post-graduate student as part of the requirements of the Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) program