Exercise therapy for chronic low back pain

Review written by Dr Michael Reiman info

Key Points

  1. Exercise appears to have moderate-certainty that it is more effective than no treatment, usual care or placebo for pain intensity and functional limitations in those with chronic low back pain (LBP).
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Low back pain (LBP) has been the leading cause of disability globally for at least the past three decades and results in enormous healthcare and lost productivity costs (1,2). The primary objective of this systematic review was to assess the impact of exercise treatment on pain and functional limitations in adults with chronic non-specific LBP compared to no treatment, usual care, placebo, and other conservative treatments.

Low back pain has been the leading cause of disability globally for at least the past three decades.
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Prescribing what type of exercise the patient enjoys is more likely to result in better compliance.

METHODS

This Cochrane systematic review included randomized controlled trials (no language restrictions) that assessed exercise treatment compared to no treatment, usual care, placebo, or other conservative treatment. Studies included outcomes of pain or functional limitations for a population of adult participants

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