The effects of maitland orthopedic manual therapy on improving constipation.
Ja-Pung Koo, Jung-Hyun Choi, Nyeon-Jun Kim
PMID 27821950WHAT IT FOUND
Spinal mobilization and fiber supplements both sped up bowel transit time in young adults with constipation.
The manual therapy group showed significantly larger improvements in total and rectosigmoid transit time than the fiber group.
Key findings
01Maitland orthopedic manual therapy resulted in statistically significant decreases in left colon, rectosigmoid colon, and total colon transit times.
02The manual therapy group showed significantly larger declines in rectosigmoid and total colon transit times compared to the dietary fiber group.
03Dietary fiber supplementation resulted in statistically significant decreases in rectosigmoid and total colon transit times.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study population was very young (mean age approximately 21 years) and entirely female, so results may not apply to older adults or men. The study did not report clinical symptom scores (such as the Constipation Assessment Scale) after the intervention, only physiological transit times. There was no placebo or sham therapy control group, so the effect of attention or touch in the manual therapy group cannot be ruled out.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this treatment resolves the sensation of constipation. The study only measured how fast markers moved through the colon, not whether patients felt better or had fewer symptoms.