Risk-free manual (self)therapy in back pain

The monograph is a result of academic dissertational, research, scientific-applied, diagnostic, therapeutic, consultant, and teaching experience of the author in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation with emphasis on risk-free manual therapy and kinesiology electromyography in pain of the thoracolumbar, lumbar, and lumbosacral area of the spine, with or without radicular or pseudo-radicular irradiating pain to the legs.

In the overview are presented some anatomic, biomechanics, and bio-electric data about the spine with emphasis on the muscles, having a key role in back pain and its treatment, self-treatment, prophylaxis, and prevention. Risk-free manual therapy (post-isometric relaxation /PIR/ and self-performed PIR) for treatment and self-treatment, as well as risky manual therapy (high-speed low-amplitude technique /HSLAT/), are described.

The main part represents personal clinical research on inpatients and outpatients with back pain, with or without radicular or pseudo-radicular irradiation of the pain in the legs. Comparative analyses are performed between risk-free and high-risk manual therapy, as well as between them and some frequently used conventional physiotherapy and kinesitherapy methods in the short- and long run. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods are discussed. Conclusions are presented.

The monograph is suitable for specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation, manual medicine, osteopathy, chiropractics, neurology, orthopedics, traumatology, rheumatology, surgery, internal medicine, general practice, and others. Certified specialists in manual medicine can train patients in self-treatment after precise diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prescription, explanation, and supervised execution of strictly indicated risk-free self-performed post-isometric relaxations.