Non-thrust manual therapy reduces erector spinae short-latency stretch reflex asymmetries in patients with chronic low back pain

Mechanisms of Shoulder Range of Motion Deficits in Asymptomatic Baseball Players

“…1,3 Recent studies investigating the benefits of stretching and manual therapy reported decreased muscle stiffness with downregulation of muscle spindles. 1,3,16 These results correlate with clinical research demonstrating the effectiveness of manual neuromuscular facilitation (muscle energy) techniques in overhead athletes to decrease horizontal adduction deficits. 26 In light of this unexplained variability, neuromodulation of resting muscle tension may account for a portion of the unexplained variability observed within our sample.…”

“…Recent studies investigating the benefits of stretching and manual therapy reported decreased muscle stiffness with downregulation of muscle spindles 1,3,16. These results correlate with clinical research demonstrating the effectiveness of manual neuromuscular facilitation (muscle energy) techniques in overhead athletes to decrease horizontal adduction deficits.…”

Special focus on spinal manipulation

“…An original clinically-oriented basic science study in individuals with chronic low back pain by Goss et al (2012) showed that non-thrusting manual therapy interventions reduced muscle-spindle evoked reflexes from the lumbar erector spinae. Further research is needed to determine if the change occurs at the receptor or at central sites of the reflex pathway.…”