The effectiveness of the ‘Bruce Jones sacroiliac technique’ in treatment of people with chronic low back pain : a single cohort design

Aim: To investigate the effect of a novel manual sacroiliac mobilisation technique on pain intensity, disability and function in people with chronic low back pain. Immediate changes in lumbar range of motion were also investigated between pre and post-treatment for the first treatment session. Setting: Participants were recruited from patients attending for a new consultation at a suburban private clinic. Treatment was delivered by an osteopath who was also the developer of the novel technique. Design: Single cohort series Methods: Participants (n=24) who suffered from chronic low back pain and whose baseline score on the Oswestry Disability Index was higher than 22% were recruited from people attending the practice. Primary outcome measures were: change from baseline to eight weeks on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI); Quadruple Visual Analog Scale (QVAS) and the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS). The intervention was a side-lying joint mobilization technique targeting the sacroiliac joint with a median of five treatments per participant. The mobilisation technique has not previously been described. Results: Analysis with repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant changes in pain and disability scores, with mean reductions in Oswestry score of 15 points, p < 0.0001 (95% CI: 9.2, 22.7); QVAS 1.9 points; p < 0.0001 (95% CI: 1.0, 3.0); and PSFS of 3.1 points, p < 0.0001 (95% CI: 1.9, 4.3). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that pain intensity, disability and function improved in most participants following treatment. Consequently further investigation using more robust research designs to compare this approach with other treatment approaches and usual care for the treatment of chronic low back pain is indicated