Lumbar disc disease: comparative analysis of physical therapy treatments.

A randomized clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of 3 physical therapy approaches--lumbar flexion exercise, manual therapy, and home care--in the treatment of lumbar disc disease. Twenty-eight patients were assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups and were shown to be similar in age, sex, and prescores on 4 of the 5 outcome measures. With the exception of the home care patients, each patient received the appropriate treatment twice a week for a 1-month period. No statistically significant differences in measurements of pain, forward, right-side, and left-side flexion, or functional activity between the 3 groups were observed.