CClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT01940744Updated Nov 13, 2013

Prescriptive Mobilization Versus a Pragmatic Mobilization

An interventional study of Prescriptive Mobilization and Pragmatic Mobilization in Mechanical Low Back Pain, sponsored by Walsh University. Status unknown at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2013-11-13.

Sponsored by Walsh University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Nov 2013), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
46
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is designed to compare the outcomes of two types of manual therapy techniques on patients with low back pain. Both immediate- and long-term outcomes will be examined. The investigators hypothesize there will be no differences between the two applied treatment techniques in immediate and longer-term assessments.

Read the detailed description

This randomized clinical trial is designed to compare the outcomes of a prescriptively applied non-thrust manipulation to a pragmatically applied non-thrust manipulation on subjects with mechanical low back pain. The study has two primary aims. Specific Aim 1 examines immediate effect differences between a pragmatically applied localized non-thrust manipulation versus a prescriptively applied, non-localized non-thrust manipulation in subjects with mechanical low back pain. Specific Aim 2 examines longer-term differences between a pragmatically applied localized non-thrust manipulation versus a prescriptively applied, non-localized non-thrust manipulation in subjects with mechanical low back pain. The investigators hypothesize there will be no differences between the two applied treatment techniques in immediate and longer-term assessments.

02

Conditions studied

  • Mechanical Low Back Pain

Keywords

  • Low back pain
  • Non-specific Low back pain
03

In context

Back Pain

2,373 studies on the registry are indexed under Back Pain; 284 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 46 is below the median of 60 across 1,941 interventional studies indexed under Back Pain.

Browse Back Pain studies →

Lead sponsor

Walsh University is the lead sponsor of 6 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients will need to be 18 years of age or older with mechanically producible LBP. They will require a minimum Modified Oswestry Disability Index score of 20% and a baseline pain score of >2.0/10 on the numeric analog scale for pain, and a within session change (improvement during the visit) in pain and/or range of motion during the assessment phase of the clinical examination.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • The presence of any red flags (i.e., tumor, metabolic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, prolonged history of steroid use, etc.), or signs consistent with nerve root compression (reproduction of low back or leg pain with straight leg raise at less than 45°, muscle weakness involving a major muscle group of the lower extremity, diminished lower extremity muscle stretch reflex, or diminished or absent sensation to pinprick in any lower extremity dermatome). Other exclusion criteria include prior surgery to the lumbar spine and current pregnancy. Lastly, if patients are enrolled in the study but do not receive a second outcome measure (follow up visit) they will be excluded from the final analyses.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
46 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Prescriptive Mobilization

    The prescriptively applied non-thrust manipulation will be involve a central lumbar posterior-anterior directed at L4 and L5. "The therapist will place the hypothenar eminence of 1 hand over the spinous process of L4. With the elbows remaining extended, the therapist will deliver a low-velocity, high amplitude oscillatory force (at approximately 2 Hz) directed at L4 for a total 60 seconds (Figure 1)". Following a 30-second rest the therapist will perform a similar set of oscillations directed at L5. A second set of oscillations will then be performed in a similar manner at L4 and L5. Patients will be seen for 4 visits.

    Procedure: Prescriptive Mobilization

  • Active comparator
    Pragmatic Mobilization

    The pragmatically applied non-thrust manipulation will be based on the original concepts outlined by Maitland and will of consist of passive, low velocity, oscillatory movements within the physiological range of the joint, applied to the comparable spinal level of the patient (defined as the spinal level that reproduced the patient's familiar pain). The techniques will be modified based on clinician assessment and patient feedback and consist of Grade I through Grade IV movements. Since the pragmatic approach is clinician-driven, no time limit will be placed on the application and the number of mobilizations used will depend on the patient feedback (the exact definition of a pragmatic treatment). Patients will be seen for 4 visits.

    Procedure: Pragmatic Mobilization

Interventions

  • ProcedurePrescriptive Mobilization

    The therapist will place the hypothenar eminence of 1 hand over the spinous process of L4. With the elbows remaining extended, the therapist will deliver a low-velocity, high amplitude oscillatory force (at approximately 2 Hz) directed at L4 for a total 60 seconds (Figure 1)". Following a 30-second rest the therapist will perform a similar set of oscillations directed at L5. A second set of oscillations will then be performed in a similar manner at L4 and L5. Although not described in the original article, we'll target Grade III mobilizations. The procedure will be completed during a session after 2 sets of 60 seconds of non-thrust oscillatory manipulations will be performed over L4 and L5." Patients will be seen for 4 visits.

    Also known as: Non-thrust manipulation

  • ProcedurePragmatic Mobilization

    The techniques will of consist of passive, low velocity, oscillatory movements within the physiological range of the joint, applied to the comparable spinal level of the patient (defined as the spinal level that reproduced the patient's familiar pain). The techniques will be modified based on clinician assessment and patient feedback and consist of Grade I through Grade IV movements. Common techniques used may include unilateral posterior-anterior movements, central posterior-anterior movements, and sidelying rotations (without thrust). Since the pragmatic approach is clinician-driven, no time limit will be placed on the application and the number of mobilizations used will depend on the patient feedback (the exact definition of a pragmatic treatment). Patients will be seen for 4 visits.

    Also known as: Non-thrust manipulation (pragmatically applied)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Modified Oswestry Disability Index

    The Modified Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) will be used to measure disability, will serve as the primary outcome measure for the study, and consists of 10 questions each scored from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater disability. A 50% reduction in the ODI or greater from baseline has been considered a clinically important outcome

    Time frame: Multiple points, up to 6 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. The Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS)

    The PASS is the state beyond which patients consider their state as acceptable and are unlikely to seek further treatment. Thus, therapeutic success can be defined at the individual level (i.e., for each patient) as an improvement greater than minimum clinically acceptable score, or as achieving a state acceptable at the end of the care. For our study, recovery is defined as a "yes" (patients consider their state as acceptable) on the PASS at discharge.

    Time frame: Multiple points up to 6 months

  2. Numeric Pain Rating Scale

    An 11-point NPRS will be used to measure pain intensity. The scale is anchored on the left with the phrase "No Pain" and on the right with the phrase "Worst Possible Pain". NPRSs have been shown to be reliable and valid. Patients rate their current level of pain and their worst and least amount of pain experienced during the last 24 hours.

    Time frame: Multiple points up to 6 months

  3. Global Rating of Change (GRoC)

    The fifteen-point global rating scale described by Jaeschke et al., will be used. The scale ranges from -7 (a very great deal worse) to zero (about the same) to +7 (a very great deal better). The global rating scale will be administered at 4 visits, 1 month, and 6 months.

    Time frame: Multiple points up to 6 months

07

Study locations

1 of 3 sites recruiting
  • Des Moines University
    Des Moines, Iowa 50312, United States
    • Shannon Petersen, ScD, PT · Contact · Shannon.Petersen@dmu.edu · 515-271-1688
    • Shannon Petersen, ScD, PT · Sub investigator
    Not yet recruiting
  • Walsh University
    North Canton, Ohio 44720, United States
    • Chad E Cook, PhD, PT · Contact · ccook@walsh.edu · 330-490-7370
    • Chad E Cook, PhD, PT · Principal investigator
    • Megan Donaldson, PhD, PT · Sub investigator
    Recruiting
  • Youngstown State University
    Youngstown, Ohio 44555, United States
    • Ken Learman, PhD, PT · Contact · klearman@ysu.edu · 330-261-7376
    • Ken Learman, PhD, PT · Sub investigator
    Not yet recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Donaldson M, Petersen S, Cook C, Learman K. A Prescriptively Selected Nonthrust Manipulation Versus a Therapist-Selected Nonthrust Manipulation for Treatment of Individuals With Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016 Apr;46(4):243-50. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2016.6318. Epub 2016 Mar 8. PubMed 26954273 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 13, 2013, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01940744
Lead sponsor
Walsh University
Collaborators
Des Moines University, Youngstown State University
Responsible party
Chad Cook (Professor and Chair, Walsh University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 12, 2013
Start date
Oct 2013
Primary completion
Oct 2014 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2014 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 13, 2013

Study contacts

Chad Cook, PhD, PT
principal investigator · Walsh University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in Nov 2013. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion