Gross myofascial release of trunk with leg pull technique on low back pain with radiculopathy - A randomised controlled trial.
Abey P Rajan, Peeyoosha Gurudut
PMID 37584046WHAT IT FOUND
Adding 15 minutes of gross myofascial release to standard physical therapy improved short-term pain, disability, and patient satisfaction in people with low back pain and radiculopathy, compared to standard therapy alone.
Key findings
01The experimental group showed significantly better outcomes than the control group for disability (ODI), pain pressure threshold in the low back and lower limb, and lumbar flexion range of motion.
02Patient satisfaction, measured by the Global Perceived Effect Questionnaire, was significantly higher in the experimental group.
03There was no significant difference between the groups for lumbar extension range of motion.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study had no long-term follow-up, so it is unknown if the benefits persist beyond the five sessions. The sample size was small (40 participants). The treatment duration differed between groups (45 minutes vs 60 minutes), which might influence perceived satisfaction or effect, although the authors note this was due to the design. The sample size calculation was based on a different technique (neck MFR), not the specific trunk/leg pull technique used here. Two participants dropped out of the experimental group, though they were included in the intention-to-treat analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests and received no funding or support for the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the myofascial release technique alone caused the improvement. The experimental group received it in addition to conventional physical therapy, so the contribution of the manual technique versus the standard care cannot be fully separated, and the longer total treatment time (60 mins vs 45 mins) may have influenced patient satisfaction scores.