Effect of Foot Muscle Energy Technique (MET) and Neural Mobilization in Patients with Lumbosacral Radiculopathy

Low back pain is a common condition that causes low back discomfort and gradual loss of functionality and mobility. Lumbo-Sacral radiculopathy is a manifestation of LBP with radicular symptoms. LBP patients have balance deficits in quiet standing and in perturbed standing; not a universal finding. Proposed mechanisms behind the balance deficits in LBP patients include reduced lower back proprioception, hip control mechanisms alterations, and decreased lumbar motion. In healthy young adults, there is elevation of centre of pressure (COP), deviation in quiet standing after induced plantar cutaneous somatosensory loss at the feet.

Chronic impairment of proprioceptors in the lumbar spine, trunk, or lower extremities has reduced postural balance, thereby reduce the precision in the sensory integration process. Herniated disc is a common cause of lumbar radiculopathy (LR) with entrapment or compression, or irritation of nerve root. In nerve root impingement, sensory deficits, reflex changes, and/or muscle weakness are components of neurological findings.. Radicular pain for more than 3 months manifests disability, lowers the quality of life (QoL), and impaired ambulatory mechanisms on functional ground. Efficacy of Foot MET in conjunction with Neural Mobilization has better implications on foot pressure biomechanics, enhances ambulation, postural balance control, and improves pain and disability. Adjunct module of treatment protocol gives recovery with good prognosis. There is a paucity of literature that showed the efficacy of Foot MET and Neural Mobilization in lumbo-sacral radiculopathy as a treatment protocol. So, the need arises to explore the efficacy of Foot MET and Neural Mobilization in lumbo-sacral radiculopathy. However, there is no study that has adjunct application of Foot MET and Neural Mobilization in lumbo-sacral radiculopathy.