Abstract

This research was conducted to examine postgraduate, doctoral, and medical theses written on manual therapy from a thematic and methodological perspective. This study includes only theses written on manual therapy on the National Thesis Center of the Republic of Türkiye. The National Thesis Center database was performed between January 2000–June 2024 using the keywords "mobilization, manipulation, chiropractic, osteopathy, manual therapy, myofascial release, ischemic compression, and trigger point." Seven theses were registered in the National Thesis Center between 2000 and 2016, and 114 between 2016 and 2024, for a total number of theses of 121.The majority of theses (67.8%) were written in the department of physiotherapy and rehabilitation. It was determined that the majority of the studies were designed as randomized controlled trials (51.2%). The most frequently evaluated parameters in the studies were pain and functionality (31.4%). Manual therapy methods were found to be mostly used in spinal pathologies (57.9%) and chronic diseases (83.5%). These results reveal the multidimensional effects of manual therapy on different parameters and interest in new evaluation parameters. More studies are needed to discuss the evidence-based impact of manual therapy methods.

Key words: Manual therapy, thesis, manipulation, mobilization