An Exercise Program in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

Launched by BRNO UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL · Aug 29, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Patients with chronic lower back pain, eligible for study inclusion at the outpatient clinic of the Rehabilitation Department of the Brno University Hospital, will be randomized by an authorized physiotherapist into one of two groups. Interventional group, where a hybrid form of rehabilitation will be delivered. According to brochures, home-based exercises and regular outpatient visits will be delivered by a physiotherapist. Moreover, regular phone contact at weekly intervals will be provided for maintaining patient motivation. Control group, where patients will undergo regular rehabilitati...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • The cause of the problems most likely lies in the back area (e.g., dysfunction of trunk stabilization, faulty posture, inappropriate movement habits, beginning mild degenerative changes of the spine)
• • age over 18 years (upper limit not determined)
• • chronic lower back pain (pain duration of at least 12 weeks) - especially non-specific pain (pain localized in the lumbar spine or pain with propagation above the knee at the most), chronic radicular pain of vertebral etiology (not requiring rehabilitation aimed at paresis) can also be present.
• • All patients enrolled in the study must have had an imaging examination of the lumbar spine.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • overall poor physical condition, it should be noted that the patient must undergo entrance and exit examinations with a physiotherapist as part of the study, which requires a certain level of physical fitness
• • involvement of the lumbar spine by another pathology (fracture, inflammation, tumor)
• • the presence of comorbidity affecting the overall mobility of the patient (e.g., the presence of paresis after a stroke, severe heart failure leading to immobilization)
• • significant impairment of cognitive functions (restricting cooperation in the study and filling out questionnaires)
• • the patient is not motivated to exercise regularly to strengthen the paraspinal muscles
• • back pain arose acutely (e.g., acute disc herniation, injury, acute blockage
• • lower limb problems cause back pain (arthrosis, dysplasia, longer lower limb, one-sided flat feet) and problems with internal organs (inflammation of the bladder, kidneys, genitals)
• • arthrosis of the hip, knee, and shoulder joints higher than grade II
• • cachexia, obesity grade II to III,
• Comment:
• • the presence of milder chronic radiculopathy does not matter for entry into the study (muscle strength of lower limbs in individual segments should be at least IV grade)
• • condition after lumbar spine surgery for degenerative changes in the anamnesis (more than 6 months) does not affect inclusion if the patient's condition allows exercise
• • the exercise program can be adjusted individually according to the patient's condition
• • it is necessary to have a signed informed consent