ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to enlighten the reader about the treatment of manipulation under anesthesia (MUA). The chapter covers the anthology of MUA from the historical past to its present day usage. We present a basis for using the MUA procedure when manipulative therapy is the therapy of choice, but when conservative office manipulative therapy has had only minimal effect. The focus is on adaptation of this modality into pain management practice when neuromusculoskeletal conditions are being treated. We do not hold MUA out as an all-inclusive treatment modality that is going to replace all forms of treatment for neuromusculoskeletal conditions. We also make no implied reference to any guarantees that if you use MUA you will obtain the same results as have been historically achieved by other MUA practitioners. We do, however, suggest that this modality has been successful with certain types of conditions, later referenced, when other modalities have not. Because this modality has had some success during the years it has been used, this form of therapy needs to be considered as part of the pain management algorithms being considered for neuromusculoskeletal conditions when manual therapy is the therapy of choice.
