The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on the temporal neurophysiological effects of a single HVLAT in patients with spinal pain. A systematic search of English articles was conducted. Of the 478 articles identified, five articles ultimately met inclusion criteria into this review. These studies were of moderate to high quality. In all, follow-up measures after a single HVLAT were taken within a 30-minute to 5-hour period.
In the absence of concurrent intervention, the neurophysiological effects seen after administration of a HVLAT were observed to be immediate in nature, with a return to baseline or reduction in effect noted at follow-up. Future studies examining the mechanisms of HVLAT should include dedicated follow-up periods to establish the temporal changes related to these techniques.