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Regional Manual Therapy
LumbarMulligan NAGs, SNAGs & Self-SNAGsGeneral regional overview

PNA Regional Principles · Overview

Lumbar — NAG / SNAG Guidance

What changes when Mulligan NAGs, SNAGs & Self-SNAGs meets the lumbar? Start with the patient's movement, assess safely, and see what the re-test reveals.

1 specific variationsClinical re-test built in

Important: this is a clinical framework, not a complete technique protocol.

This page was generated from broader regional principles. It can help you frame assessment, patient comfort, safety and reassessment, but its generic positioning, contact and dosage text must not be treated as technique-specific hands-on instruction. Study a detailed, individually authored procedure and use supervised practical training.

Read the parent technique and its specific clinical methods

Specific variations

How this technique is applied in the lumbar

Each variation below is written so you can follow patient setup, contact, direction, dose and the re-test that decides whether the technique earned a place in the plan.

01
LumbarSelected lumbar segment

Lumbar SNAG

One question matters more than the name of this variation: will the patient notice a useful change in Original lumbar comparable sign? The careful re-test gets the final word.

The change we are looking for

Improve pain-free flexion/extension/side-bending

Primary target

Selected lumbar segment

The movement that tells us

Original lumbar comparable sign

Patient focus

Improve pain-free flexion/extension/side-bending

Therapist verifies

Original lumbar comparable sign

Success signal

Keep the technique only if the re-test shows a meaningful improvement in original lumbar comparable sign without symptom worsening.

Full clinical application
1

Position the patient

Prone, side-lying or supine with pelvis/trunk supported.

2

Set the contact

Region-specific contact over Selected lumbar segment using the parent technique principles.

3

Apply the technique

Sustained segmental glide during active movement

4

Dose & re-test

Use a conservative response-guided trial and reassess before repeating. Re-test: Original lumbar comparable sign

Safety / do not apply when…

Screen cauda equina features, fracture, infection, malignancy and progressive neurological loss before routine manual treatment.

Stop or modify if symptoms peripheralize, neurological status worsens, the response is disproportionate or the patient asks to stop.

Clinical rule

A technically correct technique is not automatically a useful technique. Keep it only when the patient's pain, range or function improves in a clinically meaningful way, then transfer that gain into active movement, loading or self-management.