{"id":267,"date":"2025-10-22T22:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T22:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/?page_id=267"},"modified":"2025-10-22T22:12:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T22:12:48","slug":"mulligan-concept-of-signal-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/services\/mulligan-concept-of-signal-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Mulligan Concept of Signal Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Mulligan Concept<\/strong> is a manual therapy approach<\/strong> developed by Brian Mulligan<\/strong>, a physiotherapist from New Zealand. It\u2019s widely used by physiotherapists to restore pain-free movement<\/strong> in joints and soft tissues through specific, gentle mobilization techniques combined with active patient movement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here\u2019s a breakdown of the key ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\udde0 <\/strong>Core Principle<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mulligan Concept is based on the idea that sometimes a joint may have a \u201c<\/strong>positional fault<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 a minor misalignment of the joint surfaces that causes pain or restriction in movement.
By applying a specific mobilization with movement (MWM)<\/strong> technique, the therapist can help the joint glide correctly while the patient moves actively, often immediately reducing pain and restoring motion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc50 <\/strong>Key Techniques<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Mobilization With Movement (MWM)<\/strong> \u2013
    The therapist applies a gentle, sustained accessory glide to a joint (e.g., the knee, shoulder, or spine) while the patient performs a movement that was previously painful or limited.
    1. The glide is pain-free.<\/li><\/ol>
      1. If pain occurs, the therapist adjusts the direction or force.<\/li><\/ol>\n
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        1. The goal is to restore normal, pain-free movement instantly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Sustained Natural Apophyseal Glide (SNAG)<\/strong> \u2013
          A similar concept for the spine<\/strong>, where the therapist applies a sustained glide to a vertebral segment as the patient actively moves.\n
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          1. Commonly used for neck or back movement restrictions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Natural Apophyseal Glides (NAGs)<\/strong> \u2013
            Passive oscillatory mobilizations applied to spinal segments, often used to improve mobility or relieve stiffness.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            \ud83d\udca1 Treatment Principles<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            • Always pain-free<\/strong> during the technique.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • The movement should show immediate improvement<\/strong> (e.g., more range, less pain).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • The improvement should carry over<\/strong> after the technique.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Simple taping or self-mobilization<\/strong> methods can help maintain gains between sessions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              \u2699\ufe0f Common Clinical Uses<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              • Neck pain and stiffness<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Shoulder impingement<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Tennis elbow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Low back pain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Ankle sprains<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Knee osteoarthritis<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Hip stiffness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                The Mulligan Concept is a manual therapy approach developed by Brian Mulligan, a physiotherapist from New Zealand. It\u2019s widely used by physiotherapists to restore pain-free movement in joints and soft tissues through specific, gentle mobilization techniques combined with active patient movement. Here\u2019s a breakdown of the key ideas: \ud83e\udde0 Core Principle The Mulligan Concept is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":22,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-267","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273,"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/267\/revisions\/273"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oraiaphysio.co.nz\/wp_oraia\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}