Use of trunk muscle training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation to reduce pain and disability in an older adult with chronic low back pain: A case report.

This is a case report of one 83-year-old woman, so it describes what happened to her rather than showing that the treatment works. The intervention included trunk muscle training, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, a home exercise program, and twice-weekly physical therapy, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The patient's Short Physical Performance Battery score fell from 10/12 to 7/12 after therapy stopped, and she reported reduced activity and poorer home exercise adherence after a toe amputation. The report gives only 3-month follow-up after cessation of therapy. The patient had other medical problems, including transient ischemic attacks, right total knee arthroplasty, right hip osteoarthritis, and left shoulder pain, which could affect function. The report does not state how this patient was assigned within the randomized clinical trial.

Do not conclude that trunk muscle training plus electrical stimulation works for older adults with chronic low back pain. This report describes one patient, and her care also included home exercise and twice-weekly physical therapy, so no single component can be credited.