MANUAL THERAPY AND MANIPULATION
Manual therapy and manipulation, performed by li- censed professionals, involve the low- or high-velocity, small- or large-amplitude passive movement of joints. Such movements trigger mechanoreceptors in joints and often are followed by stretching or exercise to gain and maintain the full benefit of the movement. A low-velocity, small-amplitude mobilization consists of a small movement of the joint with gentle pressure. A large-amplitude mobilization is performed by applying greater force and generating more movement. Most of the studies evaluating manual therapy and manipulation are case series and observational studies. Few RCTs have been conducted, and most of them include studies using comparison groups. Thus, no meta-analyses of manual therapy exist. A few recent literature reviews have summarized the data from studies of manual therapy for hip and knee OA29 and for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).30 French and colleagues summarized the results of four RCTs of manual therapy for persons with hip or knee OA and focused on its impact on pain relief and function.29 Three of the four trials included patients with knee OA. Only one study examined long-term outcomes. One study compared manual therapy with no treatment, another compared manual therapy with placebo, and two used a comparison group. The authors noted the high risk of bias in three of the four studies and suggested with caution that manual therapy might yield better results than exercise for persons with OA. Another review recently performed by my col- leagues and me evaluated the quality of 11 studies that used manual therapy alone or with exercise to manage symptoms in patients ages 40 to 80 years old with diagnosed mild-to-moderate LSS.30 Seven studies were summarized; two were classified as being of high quality, two as moderate quality, and three as low quality. Most of the studies evaluated the results of manual therapy combined with exercise, and all reported small to modest effects for pain, disability, and function. We concluded that aerobic exercise combined with flexibility and strengthening exercise and manipulation could be more effective than either exercise or manual therapy alone.