Comparison of three active therapies for chronic low back pain: results of a randomized clinical trial with one‐year follow‐up
Mannion, A. F. ; Müntener, M. ; Taimela, S. ; Dvorak, J.
In: Rheumatology, 2001, vol. 40, no. 7, p. 772-778
Zum persönliche Liste hinzufügen- Summary
- Objectives. To examine the relative efficacy of three active therapies for patients with chronic low back pain. Methods. One hundred and forty‐eight subjects with chronic low back pain were randomized to receive, twice weekly for 3 months, (i) active physi otherapy, (ii) muscle reconditioning on training devices, or (ii) low‐impact aerobics. Questionnaires were administered to assess pain intensity, pain frequency and disability before and after therapy and at 6 and 12 months of follow‐up. Results. One hundred and thirty‐two of the 148 patients (89%) completed the therapy programmes and 127 of the 148 (86%) returned a questionnaire at all four time‐points. The three treatments were equally efficacious in significantly reducing pain intensity and frequency for up to 1 yr after therapy. However, the groups differed with respect to the temporal changes in self‐rated disability over the study period (P=0.03): all groups showed a similar reduction after therapy, but for the physiotherapy group disability increased again during the first 6 months of follow‐up whilst the other two groups showed a further decline. In all groups the values then remained stable up to the 12‐month follow‐up. The larger group size and minimal infrastructure required for low‐impact aerobics rendered it considerably less expensive to administer than the other two programmes. Conclusions. The introduction of low‐impact aerobic exercise programmes for patients with chronic low back pain may reduce the enormous costs associated with its treatment