Treating low back pain - Bridging the gap between manual therapy and exercise.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate a method combining mindfulness with other techniques to enable pain-free exercise for low-back pain patients during rehabilitation.
Results Summary
The study suggests that integrating mindfulness with isometric muscle contraction, assisted active oscillatory mobilization, and end-of-range passive stretch allows patients to exercise without pain earlier in rehabilitation. The method appears effective for treating low-back pain.
Population
Patients with low-back pain undergoing rehabilitation.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
exercise | decrease | low-back pain | patients | - | reduce | #1 |
exercise | increase | active range of motion | patients | - | increase | #2 |
exercise | increase | muscle strength | patients | - | increase | #3 |
exercise | increase | low-back pain | individuals | - | aggravates | #4 |
method comprising isometric muscle contraction (IMC), assisted active oscillatory mobilization, end-of-range passive stretch, and mindfulness | decrease | low back pain | patients | - | provides for the effective treatment | #5 |
method comprising isometric muscle contraction (IMC), assisted active oscillatory mobilization, end-of-range passive stretch, and mindfulness | decrease | pain during exercise | patients | - | allowing patients to exercise pain free earlier | #6 |
As therapists, we often recommend exercise to reduce patients' low-back pain, as well as increase their active range of motion and muscle strength. However, physical therapists face a challenge when recommending exercise to reduce low-back pain because the pain itself often inhibits the patient's ability to exercise or perform activities of daily living. This situation becomes even more challenging if the prescribed exercise program aggravates the individual's low-back pain. This article discusses a method which provides for the effective treatment of low back pain by allowing patients to exercise pain free earlier in the rehabilitation process. The method comprises a unique approach utilizing the following four components simultaneously from the onset of treatment: isometric muscle contraction (IMC); assisted active oscillatory mobilization; end-of-range passive stretch; and mindfulness.