• Santos LV
• Córdoba LL
• Lopes JBP
• Oliveira CS
• Grecco LAC
• Andrade ACBN
• Neto HP

• Affiliation / Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa of São Paulo. Health Sciences
• Affiliation / UNIPÊ Centro Universitário de João Pessoa. Physical Therapy Department
• Affiliation / University of Sorocaba. Physical Therapy Department
• Affiliation(G) / Brazil / Paraíba / João Pessoa
• Affiliation(G) / Brazil / São Paulo / Sorocaba
• Exercise Therapy
• Low Back Pain / rehabilitation
• Manipulation, Osteopathic
• Manipulation, Soft Tissue
• Open Access Document
• Physical Therapy Modalities

Objective: The purpose of this study was to generate data for conduction of a power analysis to investigate short-term effects of visceral manipulation associated with conventional physical therapy on pain intensity, lumbar mobility, and functionality of people with chronic low back pain and visceral dysfunctions.

Methods: This was a double-blinded, randomized, controlled, clinical trial preliminary study. A blinded evaluation was conducted involving 20 people with chronic low back pain with visceral dysfunction. Pain perception, lumbar mobility, and functionality were assessed in 3 moments: evaluation 1 (1 week before the intervention), evaluation 2 (immediately after the last intervention), and evaluation 3 (1 week after the last intervention). The protocol consisted of 50-minute session of conventional physical therapy and visceral manipulation. The participants were randomly allocated to 2 groups: 10 for the experimental group (conventional physical therapy and visceral manipulation) and 10 for the control group (conventional physical therapy and placebo visceral manipulation).

Results: Significant reductions were found in the experimental group for lumbar mobility and specific functionality in comparison with the control group (P < .05). There were no significant differences for pain perception and global functionality.

Conclusion: The combination of visceral manipulation and conventional physical therapy program demonstrated significant between-groups differences over time for lumbar spine mobility and specific functionality. These gains occurred after 5 sessions, once a week, and were maintained 1 week after the end of the treatment. This study generated data for conduction of a power analysis to inform the design for future clinical research in this line of inquiry.

Author keywords: Low Back Pain; Manipulation, Osteopathic; Manipulation, Chiropractic; Rehabilitation; Exercise Therapy; Therapy, Soft Tissue; Physical Therapy Modalities

Author affiliations: LVS, JBPL, CSO: Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa of São Paulo, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil; CL, GAC, NP: Physical Therapy Department, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil; ACBNA: Physical Therapy Department, UNIPÊ Centro Universitário de João Pessoa, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; click on the above link for free full text. PubMed Record