Manual-therapy trials for low back pain mostly tracked pain and disability
A scoping review catalogued the outcomes used in trials and protocols, highlighting the need for consistent measurement. It did not estimate how well manual therapy works.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Pain intensity and disability were the main outcomes recorded in manual-therapy research for nonspecific low back pain. Most measures were reported by patients, and trials also assessed movement and psychological factors. The review's practical message concerns consistent outcome measurement; it does not show how much manual therapy improves pain, function, or quality of life.
The abstract lists commonly assessed outcomes but gives no treatment effect estimates or results of its risk-of-bias assessment. It therefore cannot support conclusions about the effectiveness of individual manual-therapy techniques.
What trials measured
The review covered manipulation, mobilization, and soft-tissue techniques, used alone or together. Alongside pain and disability, studies measured range of motion, fear-related beliefs, pain-related thinking, and healthcare use, including medication consumption.
Why consistency matters
The authors recommended using an existing core outcome set: a shared minimum group of outcomes for trials to measure. Their recommendations included pain, disability, and health-related quality of life, aiming to make reporting more consistent.
The original publication
Assessing the impact of manual therapy in the management of nonspecific low back pain: a scoping review of the outcomes used in clinical trials.
Brier M, Phalip J, Delorme B et al.
BMC Complement Med Ther · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41668102
- Record checked
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