An Investigation of The Acute Effect of Self and Physiotherapist-Performed Upper Extremity Neural Mobilization on Reaction Time in Healthy Young Adults

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study was planned to investigate the acute effect of neural mobilization on reaction time in healthy young adults.

Methods: A total of 120 university students with a mean age of 21.75±2.2 years were included in the study. The subjects were divided into four groups; self-mobilization (Group 1), self-placebo mobilization (Group 2), mobilization by physiotherapist (Group 3), and placebo mobilization by physiotherapist (Group 4) in which ulnar, median, and radial nerve mobilizations were applied. SWAY mobile application was used to evaluate the reaction time. Ulnar, median and radial nerve mobilizations were applied to the dominant upper extremities of the participants with 5 repetitions of 5 seconds each. Measurements were taken before and immediately after mobilization with the SWAY mobile application.

Results: It was determined that the demographic characteristics and measured reaction time of each group were similar at the beginning and the difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In the measurements made after the applications, it was seen that neural mobilization did not cause a statistically significant change on the reaction time in the self-mobilization, self-placebo mobilization and mobilization by a physiotherapist groups (p>0.05), and there was a statistically significant difference in the placebo mobilization group by a physiotherapist. (p<0.05).

Discussions: it was found that neural mobilization caused a decrease in reaction time in the short term, but this change was statistically significant only in the placebo mobilization group performed by the physiotherapist, and it was thought that it may be due to the effect of static stretching on reaction time, as it has been the subject of some studies in the literature. It was thought that further studies were needed for more definitive results regarding the effect of upper extremity neural mobilization on reaction time.

Key Words: Young Adult; Reaction Time, Mobilization; Placebo Effect.