Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy has similar effects on pain and disability as ‘wait and see’ and other approaches in people with neck pain: a systematic review

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5 randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) were examined within this meta-analysis and systematic review to determine how effective Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy is at reducing the pain and disability experienced by patients with neck pain when compared to "wait-and see"/conventional therapeutic methods. Pooled analysis of 2 studies that compared Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) to a “wait and see” approach indicated that MDT had no significant effect on pain or disability, however, a trend towards improved pain was found in patients who received MDT intervention. When compared to other common interventions for neck pain (i.e. to immobilization techniques, exercise, usual care, cognitive behavioural approaches, and delayed initiation of treatment), systematic review demonstrated similar results, suggesting that MDT may not have a significantly greater effect on pain or disability in individuals with neck pain.