Riassunto dello studio

Forty patients with lumbar disc herniation were randomized to receive either manual therapy combined with stabilization exercises (n=20) or stabilization exercises with sham spinal mobilization (n=20). The primary outcomes of interest were changes in pain and psychological factors (anxiety, depression, kinesiophobia, and pain catastrophizing). Secondary outcomes included improvements in the quality of life assessed up to three months post-intervention. Overall, the results revealed significant reductions in anxiety, depression, kinesiophobia, and pain catastrophizing, as well as improvements in pain and quality of life in the manual therapy group compared to the control group. These findings suggest manual therapy has a beneficial impact on both psychological well-being and quality of life in this population.