Immediate Effect of Flexion-Distraction Spinal Manipulation on Intervertebral Height, Pain, and Spine Mobility in Patients with Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of flexion-distraction spinal manipulation on intervertebralheight, pain, spine mobility in patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease. Design: Randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest control group designMethods: A total of 96 participants with degenerative disc disease participated in the study and were randomly divided into twogroups. Both groups received intervention for 3-5 minutes a day. The experimental group (n=48) underwent flexion-distractionspinal manipulation for 3-5 minutes, and the control group (n=48) was maintained in the same position as the experimental groupfor 5 minutes without any intervention. The intervertebral height was measured by computed tomography, pain was assessed usingvisual analog scale, and the spine in flexion mobility was measured using the finger-to-floor distance test and passive straight legraise test. Pre-test and post-test measurements were obtained. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvement in intervertebral height, degree of pain, and spinal mobility(p<0.05). The intervertebral height increased from 6.32±1.90 to 6.93±1.85 mm (p<0.05), lower back pain decreased from69.17±13.35 mm to 48.48±12.20 mm (p<0.05), lumbar spine mobility changed from 17.37±4.49 to 12.69±4.34 cm (p<0.05),and passive straight leg raise test range increased from 46.94±13.05° to 56.01±12.20° (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that flexion-distraction spinal manipulation could be an effective treatment for decreasing painand improving function in patients with degenerative disc disease.