BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relative effectiveness of an extension program and a manipulation program with flexion and extension exercises was examined in patients with low back syndrome. SUBJECTS: Forty-nine patients with less than a 3-month history of low back pain were seen at physical therapy clinics in western Pennsylvania, southern Mississippi, and eastern Missouri during a 6-month period. Twenty-seven of the 49 patients were classified a priori into a treatment-oriented category of extension/mobilization and were then randomly assigned to participate in an extension program or a program of manipulation followed by hand-heel rocks (flexion and extension). Two patients dropped out of the study (1 patient returned to work, and the other patient was unable to comply with the treatment schedule), and 1 patient was eliminated from the study because of magnified illness behavior. The remaining 24 patients (15 male, 9 female; mean age 44 years, SD 15, range 14 to 73) were assigned randomly and equally to the two groups. Eight physical therapists participated in the study. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial comparing the two regimens was conducted for a 1-week period. Outcome was assessed using an Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire initially (before treatment) and at 3 and 5 days posttreatment, and data were analyzed using a 2x3 (group x time) analysis of variance. RESULTS: A significant interaction of the group and time variables was demonstrated, indicating that the rate of positive response was greater in the manipulation/hand-heel rock group than in the extension group. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: In this category of patients with low back pain, the use of manipulation as an adjunct to an ongoing exercise program appears to be warranted.

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