A comparison of the effects of high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulation and myofascial release technique on performance in healthy individuals with sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Objective: We aimed to compare the effects of High-Velocity Low-Amplitude (HVLA) manipulation and myofascial release techniques on performance in healthy individuals with sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Material-Methods: Participants were assessed for the presence of dysfunction through six clinical diagnostic tests. Those with at least 3 positive tests were included in the study, resulting in four groups: Group I (n=14) received HVLA spinal manipulation, Group II (n=14) underwent foam roller stretching, Group III (n=14) received a combination of HVLA spinal manipulation and foam roller stretching, and Group IV (n=14) underwent sham manipulation as the control group. Prior to the interventions, participants were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain assessment, the Baseline Sit and Reach test for flexibility assessment, the Optojump Next system (Via Stradivari, Bolzano) for vertical jump performance and multiple jump tests, and the MicroFet2 digital hand dynamometer (United States, Utah) for muscle strength measurement. Acute measurements were taken after the interventions performed by a physiotherapist. Results: The study groups showed statistically significant improvements in performance parameters compared to the control group (p<0.05). Pre-treatment and post-treatment performance parameters and pain values were statistically significant in both groups (p<0.05). While performance improvements were observed in all four groups, the highest changes were generally observed in the HVLA + Myofascial release group. Conclusion: Considering the overall results, the combined use of HVLA and Myofascial release in the treatment protocol is recommended. Keywords: HVLA, Myofascial Release, Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction, Optojump Next, Performance