Efficiency of Physiotherapy Treatments for Low Back Pain in Women.

University Rovira i Virgili96 enrolled

Overview

Aim: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of a combined treatment of TENS or Elec-tromagnetic and Back School with the effectiveness of only the Back School treatment. Design: Single-blind experimental prospective study of clinic intervention. Setting: Physiotherapy and Speech Therapy Unit at the Cambrils Slight Hospital. Spain. Population: 96 women (50-85 years) with chronic low back pathology. Methods: Subjects were divided into three randomized groups: Back School (group 1), TENS with Back School (group 2), and Magnetic therapy with Back School (group 3). They have re-ceived 20 sessions of treatment. The intensity of pain (EVA Scale) and the quality of life (Oswestry Scale) were measured, at the beginning and at the end of the treatment and after three and six months. Anthropometric and physical activity variables were collected.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Interventions

20 sessions from Monday to Friday of 20 minutes of Electromagnetic Therapy, using the next parameters: 10 Hz of frequency and 60% of intensity, and 20 sessions from Monday to Friday of 25 minutes of Back School, the exercises were based on the re-education of breathing, self stretching trunk muscles, erector spine reinforcement, abdominal reinforcement and postural exercises. The participants had been performing 8 to 10 repetitions of each exercise and they had been recommended about making a series more at home.

Transcutaneous Electrical Neurological StimulationPROCEDURE

Procedure/Surgery: Transcutaneous Electrical Neurological Stimulation (TENS) 20 sessions from Monday to Friday of 20 minutes of TENS Therapy using the next parameters: 100μs of impulse width, 80 Hz of impulse frequency, and 20 sessions from Monday to Friday of 25 minutes of Back School, the exercises were based on the re-education of breathing, self stretching trunk muscles, erector spine reinforcement, abdominal reinforcement and postural exercises. The participants had been performing 8 to 10 repetitions of each exercise and they had been recommended about making a series more at home.

Back SchoolPROCEDURE

25 minutes of Back School, the exercises were based on the re-education of breathing, self stretching trunk muscles, erector spine reinforcement, abdominal reinforcement and postural exercises. The participants had been performing 8 to 10 repetitions of each exercise and they had been recommended about making a series more at home.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 50 YearsMax age: 85 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Women between 50 and 85 years. * Chronic LBP condition for at least three months ago. * Patient's agreement by signing the consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Cardiac pacemaker carriers. * Patients with parts of osteosynthesis and / or prostheses. * Patients with a not well balanced medical condition. * Patients with TENS at home and / or having completed physiotherapy during the last three months. * Patients with skin infectious diseases or skin lesions and / or areas of hypoesthesia. * Patients with malignant tumours. * Patients who received any spinal injection during the last six weeks. * Patients who participate or have participated in a study in the last three months

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pain was measured at the beginning and after the treatment with the Visual Scale Analogue (VAS)

The VAS scale represents the pain intensity on a line of 10 cm, at one end there are the words "no pain" and the other end "the worst imaginable pain " written, the distance in centimetres from the "no pain" point to the place marked by the patient represents the intensity of pain

Time frame: 24 weeks

Oswestry disability index (ODI)

. The ODI assesses nine different aspects of disability, affecting various functions of daily life (personal care, lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, sex life, social life, and traveling). The questionnaire is scored using a global percentage score. For every section, one of six options is chosen. Each section is scored 0-5, with 0 indicating no limitation of function due to pain, and with 5 indicating major functional disability due to back pain.

Time frame: 24 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Questionnaire of Physical Activity (ClassAF)

Is a method developed by the Health Department of the Catalan Government. The ClassAf is a comprehensive questionnaire which contains a few items (1-4) to measure the general level of Physical Activity, it is calculated in METS (basal metabolic expenditure: mlO2/kg.min) and it allows to classify people into physically active or physically inactive.

Time frame: 4 weeks