Positional Release Technique Versus Muscle Energy Technique for Patients With Nonspecific Low Back Pain With Facet...

This study, being a pilot research, explored the comparative short-term results, as well as the feasibility, of using positional release technique (PRT) and muscle energy technique (MET) in nonspecific low back pain sufferers who also exhibited a presumption of a restriction in the facet joint.

For the purposes of the present pilot randomized comparative study, 36 patients between the ages of 25 and 50 years, all presented by an orthopedic surgeon with the diagnosis of NSLBP, were selected. These patients were randomly assigned equally to two groups using a computer-generated randomization list. Group A patients were subjected to PRT, while Group B patients were subjected to MET. Before commencing each treatment, a 15-min hot pack was administered universally. Pain intensity was also measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS), while functional measures were determined using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Three treatments per week over four weeks were administered.

Both interventions were found to be significant in reducing experimental pain from the beginning to the end of the study. After the PRT intervention, the VAS scores showed an average decrease of 1.5 points from 8.6 to 7.1. In the same manner, the VAS scores showed an average decrease of 5.66 points from 9.0 to 3.3 after the MET intervention was conducted. Concerning the RMQ scores in the same manner as the VAS of both PRT and MET intervention variables in the study, the PRT group experienced an average decrease of 1.05 in the RMQ scores from 9.3 to 8.2. After the MET intervention in the study was conducted in the same manner as the PRT intervention, the RMQ scores showed an average decrease of 9.05 points from 11 to 2.5.

Based on this pilot RCT, the results indicate that the short-term outcomes of patients with NSLBP who also have facet joint restrictions were more significantly improved through the use of the MET technique in comparison with PRT. Further research is necessary to confirm the potential of the MET technique to reduce pain associated with patients with NSLBP who have facet joint restrictions.

ClinicalTrails.gov.identifier: NCT07165249.