Regional Manual Therapy and Motor Control Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain

This study will use a 2x4 factorial mixed design with a between-factor independent variable (IV) of group and a within-factor IV of time. The dependent variables include hip ROM, segmental mobility of the thoracolumbar spine, pain, disability level, and patients' perceived rating of change (GROC). Hip ROM and spinal mobility variables will be measured by the researchers, while pain, disability level, and GROC score will be measured by self-reported questionnaires. The experimental group will receive a motor control exercise program and manual therapy to the hips and spine corresponding to the individual's unique mobility impairments. The comparison group will receive a motor control exercise program and manual therapy to the lumbar spine only. Both groups will receive treatments at an outpatient clinic 2 times a week for 4 weeks. All outcome measures will be collected at baseline (except the GROC), and then at two weeks, four weeks, and twelve weeks after beginning treatment. All study participants will receive a motor control exercise program consistent with standard of care. Exercises will be targeted to the abdominals, hip flexors, back extensors, hip extensors, hip flexors, hip abductors, and hip adductors, but will begin with those muscles that test weakest in the clinical exam. Generally, exercises for each subject begin with isolated isometric contractions to ensure adequate motor control, and progress through various degrees of agonist loading with co-contraction of synergists using isotonic open or closed chain movements. Instructions to gradually increase time under tension to a maximum of 30 seconds for four repetitions will be used in order to provide an element of graded-activity exposure and to reflect the tonic nature of stabilizing muscles. Participants unable to complete all exercises by the end of the fourth week will be instructed on how to progress to the final exercises with their independent home exercise program. In addition to a motor control exercise program, all participants will receive manual therapy to the lumbar spine. Standard PT manual therapy will be limited to non-thrust passive accessory (PA) mobilizations from L1-L5 or soft tissue mobilization to the lumbar paraspinals or quadratus lumborum. Only the participants in the experimental group will receive manual therapy to the hips and thoracic spine according to the mobility impairments identified during the initial testing session. The manual therapy interventions utilized at the hips and thoracic spine are considered standard of care for treatment of those regions, but could be considered experimental for treatment of low back pain. Regional manual therapy will include a variety of thrust and non-thrust techniques targeting the thoracic, lumbopelvic, or hip joints. Hip-based techniques including anterior-posterior hip mobilization, caudal thrust or non-thrust mobilization, and posterior-to-anterior mobilization will be performed. The choice of initiating or suspending a specific manual therapy technique and the grade of treatment will be left to the discretion of the treating therapist (other than the PI). Prior to the commencement of the study, all treating physical therapists will be trained in administration of standard motor control exercises and manual therapy.