What You Need to Know About the Mulligan Concept in Physiotherapy?

Have you heard of the Mulligan Concept? It can be one of the techniques used by your physiotherapists. Since its first introduction in New Zealand, it has become one of the popular techniques that use mobilization with movements to treat musculoskeletal injuries.

Let’s further find out what is the Mulligan Concept.

What is the Mulligan Concept?

Mulligan Concept is a manual therapy developed by New Zealand physiotherapist Brian Mulligan. It uses various types of mobilization techniques to treat our spine. It treats our limbs due to the damage of the spine. Among the mobilization techniques under this therapy: Sustained Natural Hypophyseal Glides (SNAGs), Natural Hypophyseal Glides (NAGs), and Mobilization with Movements (MWMs).

The first discovery of mobilization using movement concepts was in 1985 and 1999 is the year of publication of Mulligan’s first textbook with his technique.

If you go neck pain, back pain, and extremities injuries, Mulligan Manual Therapy can help in pain reduction and improving range of motion.

To apply this technique, a physiotherapist will first check if a patient has one or more signs that include loss of joint movement, pain when moving, or doing any functional activities. Then, if it is an appropriate treatment, the physiotherapist uses a passive accessory joint mobilization. And the accessory used by the therapist is known as the Mulligan belt.

When the physiotherapist applies this technique, a combination of parallel or perpendicular glides to find the correct treatment plane and grade of movement.

Mulligan Concept follows the principle that once a passive glide or mobilization applied to the joint is pain-free, the Physiotherapist progresses the treatment. So, to progress the treatment, the patient must have an increasing range of motion and move without any pain. If there is still pain, it implies that the therapist has not found the right spot, treatment plane, and grade.

The Benefits of Mulligan Concept

The Mulligan concept uses a specifically directed mobilization technique that aims to provide the following benefits:

• To reduce pain
• Increase the range of motion without feeling in pain
• Improve your quality of life and day-to-day function.

In addition, the application of this technique must result in a PILL response.

• P – Pain-free
• I – Instant result
• LL – Long Lasting

If there’s no PILL response the treatment will not progress and will proceed to the second principle which is CROCKS.

• C-Contra-indications (There’s no PILL response is a contraindication)
• R – Repetitions ( only three repetitions on day one)
• O – Overpressure
• C – Communication
• K- Knowledge of treatment planes and pathologies
• S – Sustain the mobilization throughout the movement

Who can benefit from the Mulligan Concept?

Mulligan concept is beneficial to anyone having any musculoskeletal pain such as neck or back pain. It can also treat musculoskeletal disabilities.  As it applies kneading and manipulation techniques, it can reduce inflammation of the soft tissues, induce relaxation and improve function.

Applied by the therapist together with custom exercises to reduce pain and increase the range of motion that the injury has caused.

If the Mulligan Concept may sound of interest to you and would like to know more about this service, you can arrange an assessment with one of our Physiotherapists.

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