Effects of complex rehabilitation training on low back strength in chronic low back pain.
Jaeyong Park, Jung Chul Lee
PMID 27942128WHAT IT FOUND
Isometric low-back strength improved at every tested angle after 12 weeks of combined muscular fitness and stabilization exercise, but there was no described control group and participants were receiving general oriental therapy, so the exercise effect alone cannot be isolated.
Key findings
01Lumbar isometric extensor strength increased significantly at every tested angle after the 12-week program.
02Males had significantly higher strength than females at 0, 48, and 60 degrees.
03The exercise program combined muscular fitness and stabilization training, and participants were also receiving general oriental therapy, so the effect of any single component cannot be separated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 20 participants were studied. There was no described control group, so natural recovery, time, or other care cannot be ruled out. The outcome was isometric lumbar strength, not pain, disability, or function. Participants were receiving general oriental therapy, so the exercise program alone cannot be isolated. The program combined muscular fitness and stabilization exercises, so neither component can be isolated. All participants were in their 30s, so results may not apply to other ages. The paper does not describe randomisation, allocation, or blinding. The methods list a 72-degree measurement angle, while the results table reports 70 degrees. The study measured strength only before and after the program, not longer-term maintenance.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the strength gains as evidence that pain or function improved. The study measured only isometric low-back strength, had no described control group, included only 20 patients, and they were receiving general oriental therapy.