Low Back PainLBPNCT06941220
Effect of Mulligan Versus Maitland Mobilization on Lumbar Proprioception in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain
A study testing mulligan group, Maitland mobilization and traditional therapy in people with Low Back Pain, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Egypt.
Trial summary
this study will be conducted to compare between the effect of mulligan mobilization versus Maitland mobilization on pain ,function and lumbar proprioception in patients with chronic nonspecific low pain Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Low Back Pain
- What is being tested?
- mulligan group, Maitland mobilization and traditional therapy
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- 1 siteEgypt
- Study dates
- 15 Apr 2025to 31 Jan 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- They had interrupted or continuous LBP symptoms for more than 3 months
- both gender
Who cannot join
- specific LBP
- those who were pregnant
- those with neurological problems
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
this study will be conducted to compare between the effect of mulligan mobilization versus Maitland mobilization on pain ,function and lumbar proprioception in patients with chronic nonspecific low pain
Read the detailed description
Low back pain (LBP) is considered as one of the most widespread musculoskeletal disorders, impacting over 80% of the world's population, resulting in work absence, medical consultation, a decline in quality of life, and financial burden. Lumbar repositioning error was high around 30° of trunk flexion in individuals with CLB. When lumbar proprioceptive deficiencies arise, the activation pattern of back muscles is disturbed, the mechanics of the spinal unit differs from that of a healthy spine, and the recurrence rate of LBP increases . CLBP is managed using various intervention modalities, including drug therapy and physical therapy approaches . Physical therapy modalities, such as manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and biopsychosocial techniques, are used for treating LBP. Manual therapy is a common and suggested modality for treating CLBP that has strong evidence. It is employed in physical therapy practice, including Maitland mobilization and Mulligan mobilization. Mulligan mobilization as well as Maitland mobilization has significant effect on pain ,function disability and lumbar repositioning error. But there is gap about which is more beneficial. So we conduct this study to determine which technique is more beneficial for patients
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain
- Being tested
- mulligan group, Maitland mobilization, traditional therapy
- Keywords
- mulligan, maitland, proprioception, low back pain
- Medical subject headings
- Low Back Pain
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
mulligan groupOther
SNAG technique was applied from a sitting position on the edge of the table while both feet were on a foot rest. A specialized Mulligan belt was used around the patient's waist and therapist's hips. The mobilizing force was applied parallel to the facet joint plane (cephalic direction) and over the spinous processes of the respective symptomatic spinal levels. The patients were asked to lean forward as much as possible during application of the mobilizing force and then return to the starting position while the therapist maintained his mobilizing force until the end. plus traditional therapy
Maitland mobilizationOther
The subjects were placed in the prone position on a plinth with their hands beside them, and the therapist stood on the subject's side, the ulnar surface of the hand (between pisiform and hamate) was placed over the hypomobile spinous process. The second hand was placed on top of the first to enhance its force. With the therapist's elbows slightly bent and shoulders exactly above the spinous process, an oscillatory movement of the vertebra was executed by applying a posterior-anterior force to the hypomobile or painful spinous process.
Grade III mobilization was applied four times, each with 60 s of oscillation and 20 s of rest in between them (2 or 3 oscillations per second) plus traditional therapy
traditional therapyOther
the patients will receive traditional therapy in the form of passive stretching, strengthening, and lumbar stabilization exercises
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| mulligan group | Experimental | thirty patients will receive mulligan sustained natural apophyseal glide (SNAG) for each level was 3 sets of 6 repetitions 3 times per week for 1 month plus traditional therapy Receives: Other: mulligan group; Other: traditional therapy |
| Maitland mobilization | Experimental | thirty patients will receive Maitland 3 times per week for 1 month plus traditional therapy Receives: Other: Maitland mobilization; Other: traditional therapy |
| traditional therapy | Active comparator | thirty patients will receive traditional therapy three times a week for four weeks Receives: Other: traditional therapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
joint position error (lumbar proprioception)
joint position error will be measured by isokinetic. The lumbar Joint Position Error (JPE) Test is a measurement tool used to clinically assess an individual's lumbarcephalic proprioception ability. proprioception describes one's sense of position of their back in space. The lumbar JPE Test measures the ability of a blindfolded patient to accurately relocate their lumbar to a predetermined neutral point after lumbar joint movement.
Measured: up to four weeks
Secondary outcomes (3)
pain intensity
pain intensity will be measured by VAS. The VAS is a 10-cm horizontal line and has two ends-one end expresses no pain on the left side and the second end expresses maximal pain on the right side
Measured: up to four weeks
Functional disability
The Arabic version of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to assess functional level. The ODI is a 10-item questionnaire, with each item answered using a 6-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 to 5. Pain severity, self-care, sitting, lifting, sleeping, walking, traveling, sexual life (if founded), and sociality are all items considered by the ODI.The point total from each section is summed, divided by the total points possible of all sections answered, and multiplied by 100 to create a percentage disability from 0-100%, with a lower percentage indicating less disability.
Measured: up to four weeks
lumbar range of motion
range of motion will be measured by tape measurement
Measured: up to four weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Apr 2025
- Study start15 Apr 2025
- Primary completion31 Jan 2026
- Study completion31 Jan 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Low Back PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Cairo UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- mulligan and maitland parallel group
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Al Shaymaa Shaaban Abd El Azeim, Cairo University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06941220
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- P.T.REC/012/005680
- Acronym
- LBP
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 10 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 10 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Mulligan Versus Maitland Mobilization on Lumbar Proprioception in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06941220
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- LBP / P.T.REC/012/005680
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain
- Keywords
- mulligan, maitland, proprioception, low back pain
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Jan 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
this study will be conducted to compare between the effect of mulligan mobilization versus Maitland mobilization on pain ,function and lumbar proprioception in patients with chronic nonspecific low pain
Detailed description
Low back pain (LBP) is considered as one of the most widespread musculoskeletal disorders, impacting over 80% of the world's population, resulting in work absence, medical consultation, a decline in quality of life, and financial burden. Lumbar repositioning error was high around 30° of trunk flexion in individuals with CLB. When lumbar proprioceptive deficiencies arise, the activation pattern of back muscles is disturbed, the mechanics of the spinal unit differs from that of a healthy spine, and the recurrence rate of LBP increases . CLBP is managed using various intervention modalities, including drug therapy and physical therapy approaches . Physical therapy modalities, such as manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and biopsychosocial techniques, are used for treating LBP. Manual therapy is a common and suggested modality for treating CLBP that has strong evidence. It is employed in physical therapy practice, including Maitland mobilization and Mulligan mobilization. Mulligan mobilization as well as Maitland mobilization has significant effect on pain ,function disability and lumbar repositioning error. But there is gap about which is more beneficial. So we conduct this study to determine which technique is more beneficial for patients
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- mulligan and maitland parallel group
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| mulligan group | Experimental | Other: mulligan group, Other: traditional therapythirty patients will receive mulligan sustained natural apophyseal glide (SNAG) for each level was 3 sets of 6 repetitions 3 times per week for 1 month plus traditional therapy |
| Maitland mobilization | Experimental | Other: Maitland mobilization, Other: traditional therapythirty patients will receive Maitland 3 times per week for 1 month plus traditional therapy |
| traditional therapy | Active comparator | Other: traditional therapythirty patients will receive traditional therapy three times a week for four weeks |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- They had interrupted or continuous LBP symptoms for more than 3 months
- both gender
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- specific LBP
- those who were pregnant
- those with neurological problems
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| mulligan groupSNAG technique was applied from a sitting position on the edge of the table while both feet were on a foot rest. A specialized Mulligan belt was used around the patient's waist and therapist's hips. The mobilizing force was applied parallel to the facet joint plane (cephalic direction) and over the spinous processes of the respective symptomatic spinal levels. The patients were asked to lean forward as much as possible during application of the mobilizing force and then return to the starting position while the therapist maintained his mobilizing force until the end. plus traditional therapy | Other | mulligan group |
| Maitland mobilizationThe subjects were placed in the prone position on a plinth with their hands beside them, and the therapist stood on the subject's side, the ulnar surface of the hand (between pisiform and hamate) was placed over the hypomobile spinous process. The second hand was placed on top of the first to enhance its force. With the therapist's elbows slightly bent and shoulders exactly above the spinous process, an oscillatory movement of the vertebra was executed by applying a posterior-anterior force to the hypomobile or painful spinous process. Grade III mobilization was applied four times, each with 60 s of oscillation and 20 s of rest in between them (2 or 3 oscillations per second) plus traditional therapy | Other | Maitland mobilization |
| traditional therapythe patients will receive traditional therapy in the form of passive stretching, strengthening, and lumbar stabilization exercises | Other | Maitland mobilization, mulligan group, traditional therapy |
Primary outcome
joint position error (lumbar proprioception)
Time frame: up to four weeks
joint position error will be measured by isokinetic. The lumbar Joint Position Error (JPE) Test is a measurement tool used to clinically assess an individual's lumbarcephalic proprioception ability. proprioception describes one's sense of position of their back in space. The lumbar JPE Test measures the ability of a blindfolded patient to accurately relocate their lumbar to a predetermined neutral point after lumbar joint movement.
3 secondary outcomes
pain intensity
Time frame: up to four weeks
Functional disability
Time frame: up to four weeks
lumbar range of motion
Time frame: up to four weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 10 Feb 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing mulligan group, Maitland mobilization and traditional therapy in people with Low Back Pain, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Egypt.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Egypt. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
joint position error (lumbar proprioception) (time frame: up to four weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Feb 2026.