Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose was to identify, summarize, and rate scholarly literature that describes manipulative and manual therapy following lumbar surgery.MethodsThe review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and was registered with PROSPERO. PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ICL, CINAHL, and PEDro were searched through July 2019. Articles were screened independently by at least two reviewers for inclusion. Articles included described the practice, utilization, and/or clinical decision making to post surgical intervention with manipulative and/or manual therapies. Data extraction consisted of principal findings, pain and function/disability, patient satisfaction, opioid/medication consumption, and adverse events. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network critical appraisal checklists were utilized to assess study quality.ResultsLiterature search yielded 1916 articles, 348 duplicates were removed, 109 full-text articles were screened and 50 citations met inclusion criteria. There were 37 case reports/case series, 3 randomized controlled trials, 3 pilot studies, 5 systematic/scoping/narrative reviews, and 2 commentaries. ConclusionThe findings of this review may help inform practitioners who utilize manipulative and/or manual therapies regarding levels of evidence for patients with prior lumbar surgery. Following lumbar surgery, the evidence indicated inpatient neural mobilization does not improve outcomes. There is inconclusive evidence to recommend for or against most manual therapies after most surgical interventions.Trial registrationProspectively registered with PROSPERO (#CRD42020137314). Registered 24 January 2020.
Manipulative and manual therapies in the management of patients with prior lumbar surgery: A systematic review