Effect of Slump Stretching and Straight Leg Raising Techniques for Lumbosacral Radiculopathy: A Comparative Study

This study aimed to determine the impact of slump stretching and straight leg raising (SLR) therapy on pain, disability, and range of motion for cases suffering from lumbosacral radiculopathy.

The current randomized trial was conducted from July 2021 to March 2022 in Kanaan Physical Therapy Clinic, Lahore City, Pakistan. Utilizing consecutive samples, a sample of twenty-six patients was selected aged 30 to 50 years with symptomatic radiculopathy or provocation on the SLR test at an angle of 45-70 degrees. Patients were randomly allocated to either the slump stretching group or the SLR group through a lottery method. The outcome measuring tools were a numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) for pain, modified Oswestry disability index (MODI) for disability, and a goniometer for measuring SLR. Each patient received designated treatment with a frequency of 4 days a week over 4 weeks. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software, version 21. 

The between-group analysis shows that the slump stretching group showed a significant difference (P<0.001) in terms of NPRS with a mean of 3.00±0.74, MODI (25.42±8.45), and SLR (66.33±8.44) as compared to SLR group which exhibited results of NPRS with a mean of 6.33±1.07, MODI (37.86±4.06) and SLR (55.66±4.62). Within-group statistics also revealed a significant betterment for groups (P<0.001).

The study concludes that slump stretching therapy has higher effectiveness than the straight leg raising technique (SLRT) in reducing pain and functional disability and enhancing the range of SLR in patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy.