Joint mobilization is a manual therapy, a type of passive movement of a skeletal joint. It is usually aimed at a 'target' synovial joint with the aim of achieving a therapeutic effect. When applied to the spine, it is known as spinal mobilization.
It is classified by five 'grades' of motion, each of which describes the range of motion of the target joint during the procedure. The different grades of mobilization are believed to produce selective activation of different mechanoreceptors in the joint.
Spinal mobilisation is defined as ‘a gentle, often oscillatory, passive movement applied to a spinal region or segment so as gently to increase the passive range of motion of that segment or region’
This technique has been used a lot over the years by our therapists and we have found it on the whole very effective.
