Jeff LangmaidFounder, The Evidence Based Chiropractor

Adjustments Outperform Mobilization? New RCT Shows Big Proprioceptive Gains

27 Dec 2025 · 1 min

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YouTube video by Jeff Langmaid discussing a randomized controlled trial comparing spinal adjustments, mobilization, and no treatment. The speaker reports that spinal adjustments produced a stronger lumbar-steered proprioceptive response than mobilization or no treatment, and that patients with stronger baseline lumbar-driven proprioception experienced the largest immediate pain relief after adjustment. The video frames this as (per the speaker) the first RCT the speaker has seen showing that adjustments can immediately shift proprioceptive weighting toward the lumbar spine and that baseline proprioception may help predict clinical responders.

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And here's the really cool part. Spinal adjustments produced a stronger lumbar steered proprioceptive response than either mobilization or doing nothing. Even better than that, patients with the strongest lumbar driven proprioception at baseline got the biggest pain relief after the adjustment. So this is really the first randomized controlled trial that I've ever seen, showing that spinal adjustments can immediately. I'll repeat that can immediately shift proprioceptive weighting towards the lumbar spine and that baseline proprioception may. May help predict who responds best to the care that we deliver.