WHICH IS BETTER? SPINAL MANIPULATIONS & MYOFASCIAL RELEASE FOR NON-SPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN
The real question is, who DOES NOT have low back pain? Am I right?
Low back pain is a very common health problem worldwide and affects 80% of adults at least once in their lifetime.
Some common causes of low back pain include:
– Increased age
– Increased body weight
– Reduced fitness levels
– Poor lifting techniques
– Genetics
Today, we are going to use the best evidence available to see which type of hands-on-treatment is best to treat low back pain. Spinal manipulations and myofascial release are types of manual therapy that have shown to be associated with decreasing low back pain and disability. Lets look at the differences between the two…
What are spinal manipulations?
We perform this by applying a thrust using our hands over a joint in the spine with a measured amount of force. It allows the joint to move more than it would by itself and generally an audible “pop” is heard.
What is myofascial release?
Basically this is soft tissue release or “massage therapy” that is performed on irritated or painful muscles.
A very recent high-quality study compared the effectiveness of each treatment on individuals living with non-specific low back pain. The main focus of this study was to see whether spinal manipulations alone or together with myofascial release had the best outcomes for pain and disability. After 12 weeks of therapy, the study found no significant differences between spinal manipulations alone or together with myofascial release for patients with non-specific low back pain.
The results of this study shows that spinal manipulations alone are enough to improve pain and disability in people with or without low back pain. Although myofascial release did not show any additional benefits, it has many therapeutic benefits such as improving blood flow, temporary pain relief, improve movement, improve muscle recovery and more.
Therefore, at A FISIO we incorporate both of these hands-on treatments in conjunction with other treatments to provide a holistic approach in treating low back pain. We believe in providing the best treatments for our patients by staying informed to the rapidly changing and updated evidence out there in Physiotherapy. Whilst many people are able to self-manage their low back pain, we have the skills to help you fast-forward your journey of being “pain-free” and back your goals. If you would like your back pain assessed, feel free to contact us on 0426 422 224.
