Effect of Lateral Glide Mobilization on Pain and Functional Outcome in Patients with Cervical Radiculopathy: A Narrative Review

Cervical Radiculopathy is a common neurological condition caused by nerve root compression due to degenerative changes, disc herniation, or foraminal stenosis. It often presents with neck pain, radiating arm pain, sensory disturbances, and motor deficits, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. Purpose: This review was carried out to investigate the therapeutic effect of cervical lateral glide mobilization on pain, disability, cervical range of motion, grip strength and hand function in patients with cervical radiculopathy. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect was conducted using keywords such as Cervical Radiculopathy, Lateral Glide Mobilization, Neck Pain, Grip Strength, Hand Function, Cervical Range of Motion (ROM), and Functional Disability. Studies published between 1986 and 2024 were reviewed. Only English-language studies focusing on unilateral cervical radiculopathy due to cervical disc were included. Case reports, conference abstracts, and non-peer-reviewed studies were excluded. The research highlighted the clinical efficacy of cervical lateral glide mobilization as an adjuvant to conventional therapy in enhancing outcomes for patients with cervical radiculopathy. It emphasized the technique’s role in reducing pain, restoring function, and improving quality of life in affected individuals. It could be concluded that Cervical lateral glide mobilization added to traditional treatment is effective for improving neck pain, neck disability index, hand function, cervical side bending range of motion and cervical rotation ROM in patients with cervical radiculopathy.