Comparison of the effects of spinal manipulation and muscle energy techniques on motor control in Non- Specific Chronic Low Back Pain by Beta-band intermuscular pool coherence

Abstract

Background: Until now, a variety of techniques have been introduced to address the adverse effects of NS-CLBP, including SMT and MET. However, most of these techniques have focused on pain assessment and disability. In other words, the effectiveness of these techniques on the corticospinal tract function was not studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of SMT and MET on corticospinal tract function during flexion-extension task phases in NS-CLBP using PC of Bb-IMC. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed that in which 20 healthy and twenty-four (20–45 years) NS-CLBP patients men voluntarily participated. The patients had continuous or recurrent symptoms for 3 months or more without any referral pain to the lower extremities. The patients were randomly assigned to two equal intervention groups (SMT and MET) and the techniques were applied as described by Greenman. sEMGs from lumbopelvic muscles was recorded for all participants before and after the intervention while they performed three trials of F-ET and the PC for all muscles was calculated using Bb-IMC analysis. Multivariate analysis of variance test was used to compare the differences between the healthy subjects and patient groups before the interventions. Furthermore, in NS-CLBP patients, comparisons were made before and after the interventions in each group (i.e. SMT and MET groups). Results: There were significant differences in A and B muscle cross in the SMT group before and after the intervention in four phases of F-ET (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in the MET group. Conclusion: These results showed that the SMT intervention was more effective than the MET intervention by reducing the PC of Bb-IMC in all phases of FE-T. Therefore, the PC of Bb-IMC could be considered as an approach for clinicians when designing the rehabilitation protocol to ensure optimal treatment.