In an article published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, the authors stated that pain and disability may persist following back surgery, and these patients may seek treatment by people trained in manipulative and manual therapy. They reviewed the medical literature and found that there is low-level literature suggestive of manual and manipulative therapy being beneficial following back surgery. Over my career, I have treated many patients that have had back or neck surgery with good success. ~ Dr. Broussard
Manipulative and manual therapies in the management of patients with prior lumbar surgery: A systematic review
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
Volume 42, February 2021, 101261
Clinton J. Daniels
Highlights
• Three adequately powered randomized clinical trials investigated manual and manipulative therapy (MMT) after lumbar surgery.
• There is moderate evidence that inpatient neural mobilization does not improve outcomes after lumbar surgery.
• Low-level literature is suggestive of MMT being beneficial following lumbar surgery.
• There is inconclusive evidence to recommend for or against most MMT after most surgical interventions.
• The included studies did not adequately report on the impact of MMT on medication use or the incidence of adverse events.
Abstract
Background and Purpose
Pain and disability may persist following lumbar spine surgery and patients may subsequently seek providers trained in manipulative and manual therapy (MMT). This systematic review investigates the effectiveness of MMT after lumbar surgery through identifying, summarizing, assessing quality, and grading the strength of available evidence. Secondarily, we synthesized the impact on medication utilization, and reports on adverse events.
Methods
Databases and grey literature were searched from inception through August 2020. Article extraction consisted of principal findings, pain and function/disability, medication consumption, and adverse events.
Results
Literature search yielded 2025 articles,117 full-text articles were screened and 51 citations met inclusion criteria.
Conclusion
There is moderate evidence to recommend neural mobilization and myofascial release after lumbar fusion, but inconclusive evidence to recommend for or against most manual therapies after most surgical interventions. The literature is primarily limited to low-level studies. More high-quality studies are needed to make recommendations.