Kinetic Chain Stretching Versus Isolated Lumbar Mobilization for Pain Reduction in Discogenic Low Back Pain: A Comparative Clinical Study

Abstract

Background: Discogenic low back pain is a common musculoskeletal condition associated with pain
and functional disability. Physiotherapy interventions such as stretching and lumbar mobilization are
commonly used to improve clinical outcomes. The present study compared kinetic chain stretching
(KCS) with isolated lumbar mobilization (ILM) for reducing pain and improving functional disability
in patients with discogenic low back pain.
Methods: A comparative clinical study was conducted among 50 adults aged 20–50 years with
clinically and radiologically diagnosed discogenic low back pain. Participants were randomly
allocated into two groups of 25 each. Group A received a four-week kinetic chain stretching
programme targeting major lower-limb and lumbopelvic muscle groups, while Group B received
isolated lumbar mobilization. Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and
functional disability using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before and after treatment. Within-
and between-group changes were statistically analyzed, with p<0.05 considered significant.
Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvement following four weeks of treatment. In
Group A, mean VAS decreased from 7.20 ± 0.82 to 4.24 ± 1.20, representing a reduction of 2.96
points (p<0.001). In Group B, VAS decreased from 7.04 ± 0.84 to 5.08 ± 1.08, representing a
reduction of 1.96 points (p<0.001). ODI improved from 47.32 ± 3.94% to 26.44 ± 4.05% in Group A
and from 49.44 ± 4.64% to 33.28 ± 5.18% in Group B, with significant improvements in both groups
(p<0.001). Between-group comparison showed significantly greater improvement with KCS for both
VAS (p=0.00016) and ODI (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Both KCS and ILM effectively reduced pain and functional disability. However, kinetic chain
stretching produced significantly greater improvements in VAS and ODI, suggesting that it may be a
more effective short-term physiotherapy approach for patients with discogenic low back pain.