Evidence-based review of manual therapy efficacy in treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Chronic musculoskeletal pain contributes greatly to the community's disability and morbidity. Although many interventions are employed for treating chronic musculoskeletal pain, few have been proven in randomized controlled trials. Manual therapy is a widely used method for managing such conditions, but to date, its efficacy has not been established. This evidence-based review aims to assess the efficacy of manual therapy interventions for chronic musculoskeletal pain. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EBM Reviews (Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE, and CCTR), Ovid Healthstar, and PsycINFO databases were searched from 1961 to March 2009 using keywords of interest. Potential studies for inclusion were reviewed independently by two reviewers. Methodological quality was assessed based on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. Trials were quantitatively categorized according to the Modified Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine Levels of Evidence. Meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity of outcome measures. Evidence supports some manual therapy techniques in chronic low back and knee pain.