Study Design: Randomized clinical trial.Objectives: To analyze the immediate treatment effects of cervical mobilization and therapeutic ultrasound in patients with neurogenic cervicobrachial pain. Background: Different treatment modalities have been described for patients with neurogenic cervicobrachial pain. Although it has been suggested that a more specific approach, like cervical mobilization, would be more effective, effect studies are scarce. Methods and Measures: Twenty patients with subacute peripheral neurogenic cervicobrachial pain were assessed. Besides other criteria, patients were included if a cervical segmental motion restriction was present which could be regarded as a possible cause of the neurogenic disorder. Patients were randomly assigned to a mobilization or ultrasound group. Mobilization consisted of a contralateral lateral glide technique. The range of elbow extension, symptom distribution, and pain intensity during the neural tissue provocation test for the median nerve were used as outcome measures. Results were analyzed using a 2-way mixed-design ANOVA. Results: Significant differences in treatment effects between the 2 groups could be observed for all outcome measures (PՅ.0306). For the mobilization group, the increase in elbow extension from 137.3°to 156.7°, the 43.4% decrease in area of symptom distribution, and the decreased pain intensity from 7.3 to 5.8 were significant (PՅ.0003). For the ultrasound group, there were no significant improvements (PՆ.0521). Conclusions: When a cervical dysfunction can be regarded as a cause of the neurogenic disorder or as a contributing factor that impedes natural recovery, a cervical lateral glide mobilization has positive immediate effects in patients with subacute peripheral neurogenic cervicobrachial pain. This movement-based approach seems preferable to ultrasound. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2003;33:369-378.

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Pain provocation during neurodynamic testing is a stable phenomenon and the range of elbow extension corresponding with the moment of 'pain onset' and 'submaximal pain' may be measured reliably, both in laboratory and clinical conditions.

Knowledge of muscle activation patterns in the whole lower limb and trunk in noninjured subjects and the differences found in chronic ankle instability subjects broadens the physical therapy approach to the treatment of chronic ankle instability.

This study evaluated the one-year effect of physical therapy on pain and mandibular dysfunction associated with anterior disc displacement without reduction of the temporomandibular joint (closed lock). Forty-nine individuals were randomly assigned to either a physical therapy group [n = 23, mean age (SD) 34.7 (14.0) yrs] or a control group [n = 26, mean age 38.5 (15.1) yrs]. At baseline and after 3, 6, 12, 26, and 52 wks, pain and mandibular function were evaluated. All patients received extensive information about avoiding parafunctions and oral habits on all evaluation days. The physical therapy group received, in a 6-week period, 9 sessions of physical therapy, including joint mobilization, exercises, and massage, and the information on avoiding parafunctions and oral habits was repeated each time. All pain variables decreased, and all function variables increased significantly over time for both groups. The interaction between time and treatment group was not significant. Hence, physical therapy had no significant additional effect in patients with anterior disc displacement, without reduction, of the temporomandibular joint (ClinicalTrials.gov number, CT01475630).