The effectiveness of Mulligan's mobilisation with movement (MWM) on peripheral joints in musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions: A systematic review

Abstract

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are very common and represent a major concern for the society and global health. The manual therapy technique Mulligan's Mobilisation with Movement (MWM) has shown promising results in treating a variety of MSK conditions. The aim of this review was to systematically review the literature to establish whether MWM treatment is effective for improving pain and function in patients with MSK conditions related to peripheral joints.

Methods: Seven electronic databases (MEDLINE (through Ovid), EMBASE (through ovid), CINAHL (through EBSCO), Cochrane (CENTRAL), Web of Science, SPORTDiscus (through EBSCO) AND PEDro) were searched up to November 2017 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The quality of the evidence was rated using the GRADE approach.

Results: Seven published trials were identified in which all trials presented positive clinical outcome in pain and function of MWM. Moderate quality evidence was found for the effectiveness of MWM in pain and function in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and hip osteoarthritis (OA). There was found low quality evidence for shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) and low and very low quality evidence for lateral epicondylalgia.

Conclusion: Overall MWM interventions applied to peripheral joints seems to be superior to placebo and no intervention controls, but not in comparison with other medical or physiotherapy interventions. There is a need for more high quality trials that investigate the short and long-term effect of a series of MWM interventions.

Keywords: Mulligan's mobilisation with movement; Musculoskeletal conditions; Peripheral joints; Systematic literature review.