Effects of central and unilateral posteroanterior mobilization on cervical lordosis, muscle stiffness and ROM in patient with ankylosing spondylitis: case study.
Si-Eun Park, Bo-Kyung Kim, Sang-Bin Lee and 2 others
PMID 28744064WHAT IT FOUND
In one man with ankylosing spondylitis, measurements taken after cervical posteroanterior mobilization showed lower stiffness and greater lateral flexion and left rotation.
Flexion, extension and right rotation did not change significantly.
Key findings
01The paper reports that measured stiffness decreased significantly from 398.0 N/m to 321.5 N/m.
02Left and right cervical lateral flexion increased significantly after the mobilization.
03Left cervical rotation increased significantly, while right cervical rotation did not show a significant change.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
It describes one patient, so it cannot show that the treatment works for others. The study had no control group, so natural variation or other factors cannot be ruled out. Follow-up was only to the 16th day, so longer-term effects are unknown. The patient had long-standing ankylosing spondylitis and grade V disability, so results may not apply to people with less advanced disease. Several cervical movements did not change significantly, so the findings are mixed. The report does not describe blinding or independent assessment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cervical posteroanterior mobilization improves ankylosing spondylitis. This report covers one patient, had no comparison group, and several cervical movements did not change significantly.