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Randomised controlled trial for evaluation of fitness programme for patients with chronic low back pain.

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Affiliations

  • 1. Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Headington, Oxford.
      Authors
    • Frost H 1
    (1 author)

ORCIDs linked to this article

BMJ, 01 Jan 1995, 310(6973):151-154
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.310.6973.151 PMID: 7833752 PMCID: PMC2548554

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A comment on this article appears in "" ACP J Club. 1995 Jul-Aug;123(1):7. A comment on this article appears in "Fitness programme for chronic low back pain. Details of the exercises are not given." BMJ. 1995 May 20;310(6990):1332.

Abstract 

Objective

To evaluate a progressive fitness programme for patients with chronic low back pain.

Design

Single blind randomised controlled trial. Assessments were carried out before and after treatment by an observer blinded to the study and included a battery of validated measures. All patients were followed up by postal questionnaire six months after treatment.

Setting

Physiotherapy department of orthopaedic hospital.

Subjects

81 patients with chronic low back pain referred from orthopaedic consultants for physiotherapy. The patients were randomly allocated to a fitness programme or control group.

Intervention

Both groups were taught specific exercises to carry out at home and referred to a back-school for education in back care. Patients allocated to the fitness class attended eight exercise classes over four weeks in addition to the home programme and backschool.

Results

Significant differences between the groups were shown in the changes before and after treatment in scores on the Oswestry low back pain disability index (P < 0.005), pain reports (sensory P < 0.05 and affective P < 0.005), self efficacy reports (P < 0.05), and walking distance (P < 0.005). No significant differences between the groups were found by the general health questionnaire or questionnaire on pain locus of control. A benefit of about 6 percentage points on the disability index was maintained by patients in the fitness group at six months.

Conclusion

There is a role for supervised fitness programmes in the management of moderately disabled patients with chronic low back pain. Further clinical trials, however, need to be established in other centres to confirm these findings.

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Logo of bmjThis ArticleThe BMJ
BMJ. 1995 Jan 21; 310(6973): 151–154.
PMCID: PMC2548554
PMID: 7833752

Randomised controlled trial for evaluation of fitness programme for patients with chronic low back pain.

H. Frost, J. A. Klaber Moffett, J. S. Moser, and J. C. Fairbank
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate a progressive fitness programme for patients with chronic low back pain. DESIGN--Single blind randomised controlled trial. Assessments were carried out before and after treatment by an observer blinded to the study and included a battery of validated measures. All patients were followed up by postal questionnaire six months after treatment. SETTING--Physiotherapy department of orthopaedic hospital. SUBJECTS--81 patients with chronic low back pain referred from orthopaedic consultants for physiotherapy. The patients were randomly allocated to a fitness programme or control group. INTERVENTION--Both groups were taught specific exercises to carry out at home and referred to a back-school for education in back care. Patients allocated to the fitness class attended eight exercise classes over four weeks in addition to the home programme and backschool. RESULTS--Significant differences between the groups were shown in the changes before and after treatment in scores on the Oswestry low back pain disability index (P < 0.005), pain reports (sensory P < 0.05 and affective P < 0.005), self efficacy reports (P < 0.05), and walking distance (P < 0.005). No significant differences between the groups were found by the general health questionnaire or questionnaire on pain locus of control. A benefit of about 6 percentage points on the disability index was maintained by patients in the fitness group at six months. CONCLUSION--There is a role for supervised fitness programmes in the management of moderately disabled patients with chronic low back pain. Further clinical trials, however, need to be established in other centres to confirm these findings.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
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