EFFECT OF THE MAITLAND CONCEPT TECHNIQUES ON LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Low back pain has a prevalence that reaches up to 70% of the population between 35-55 years of age and is the principal cause of occupational disability. The scientific evidence on the effect of manual therapy on low back pain is conflicting and there are no specific reviews on the Maitland concept of manual therapy. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review is to analyze the effect of the techniques of the Maitland concept of manual therapy in patients with low back pain and/or determine the level of scientific evidence.For this, a search was carried out in the Cinahl, Medline, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases during the months of January and February 2021 and it was updated in August 2021. In the search, 894 records were obtained, of which 15 randomized clinical trials that obtained a minimum of 3 points out of 5 on the Jadad scale were included.The main results in the current scientific literature suggest that there is solid evidence that the manipulations and mobilizations described in the Maitland Concept, applied alone or in combination with other interventions, reduce pain and disability in subjects with low back pain.The effects on musculature are contradictory. Exercise and patient education increase the effect of manual therapy. Future research requires analyzing whether the effects are preserved in the long term and more homogeneous treatment protocols are needed to determine a prescriptive guideline for manual therapy. Level of evidence I; Systematic review.