To determine the immediate effect of sacroiliac and lumbar manipulation on quadriceps femoris and hamstring torque ratios in the contralateral limb in patients suffering from mechanical low back pain

Abstract

Low back pain has been shown to be associated with inhibition of the lower limb musculature. This inhibition is called arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI). Sacroiliac joint dysfunction has been linked with AMI of the ipsilateral and contralateral quadriceps and hamstring muscles. Sacroiliac manipulation has been shown to significantly reduce ipsilateral AMI, however no studies have been conducted to illustrate the effect of sacroiliac manipulation on contralateral AMI. Neither have their been studies to show the presence or extent of spinal dysfunction between the levels of L2-L5 and its significance on muscle inhibition in the quadriceps and hamstring muscles, nor the effect of manipulation of these levels on AMI of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles.

The purpose of this study was therefore to determine whether spinal manipulation has an effect on AMI of the contralateral limb as well as that of the ipsilateral limb.