Supporting Studies

There are several research studies about the effectiveness of manipulation under anesthesia, including:

1. 83% of 600 patients with EMG verified radiculopathies reported significant improvement - Robert Mensor, MD

2. Patients that had back pain for a minimum of 10 years reported an 87% recovery rate after MUA - 1987 with Ongly et al

3. 51% of patients with unrelieved symptoms after conservative care had been exhausted reported good to excellent results three years post MUA - Donald Chrisman, MD

4. 71% of 723 MUA patients had good results (return to normal activity relatively symptom free) and 25.3% had fair results (return to normal activity with slight residuals) and that flexibility, elasticity and range of motion can be restored following MUA - Bradford and Siehl

5. 83% of 517 patients treated with MUA responded well - Paul Kuo, MD professor of Orthopedic Surgery

6. Krumhansi and Nowacek reported on an MUA study done on 171 patients who experienced constant intractable pain for several months to 18 years. All of the patients of the study failed other conservative intervention. The results of the study showed that 25% of the patients had no pain, 50% were much improved with pain markedly decreased, 20% were better and could tolerate their pain but it interfered with work and recreation. Failures comprised 5% where there was minimal or no pain relief periods.

The medical literature demonstrates that for over forty years chronic neuromuscular skeletal conditions that have failed the conservative protocol may respond well to manipulation under anesthesia.

The overall effectiveness of spinal manipulation under anesthesia has been reported by researchers with success rates varying according to case selection criteria.

Diagnosis of herniated disc reported excellent to good results in:

60% - PC Colonna and ZB Friendenberg: 1949
64% - Merrill C Mensor, MD: 1949
60% - Donald Sielh, DC: 1963

Diagnosis of myofibrositis reported excellent to good results in:

96.3% - Donald Siehl, OD: 1963
75% - BR Krumhansi and CJ Nowacek: 1988

By: Richard Reid, MD,
Rosie Desimone, DC,
Ben Eubank, DC
October 23, 2002