Efficacy of two micro-gravitational protocols to treat chronic low back pain associated with discal lesions: a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT

AIM: Chronic low back pain is the most expensive benign illness in the industrialized world and is defined as a bio-psycho-social syndrome where the biological aspect has a very reduced importance when compared to the psychological and social aspects. The rehabilitative treatment of mechanical chronic lower back pain aims to modify the pain first and then postural local and general disorders. Rehabilitation in water is characterized by the possibility of reducing the gravity environment and the resistance to all motion and also of improving the proprioceptors and baroceptors sensation. Another modality exists in order to generate within a reduced gravity impact by means of the use of support systems during gait. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of these rehabilitative treatments in chronic low back pain. METHODS: Forty patients suffering from chronic low-back pain aged 50 years or less, (average age 43.46 years - max 50, min 28) were randomly divided into 2 groups (A and B) homogeneous for sex and age. They had an imaging exam that was positive for lumbar hernia or protrusion and were able to perform the defined rehabilitation with a 3 times frequency for 7 weeks. The people were studied for 1 year. Outcome measurements included the VAS and BACKILL scales. RESULTS: At the end of rehabilitation, all groups showed a statistically significant decrease of VAS values (p<0.01) and increase in Backill values (p<0.01). VAS and BK levels 1 year after treatment did not change in group B and remained significantly different from basal values, whereas in group A they were significantly different from the values at the end of treatment. The NSAIDs-intake was significantly reduced both at the end of treatment and after 1 year (p<0.01) in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Body relief locomotion proved to give better results then aquatic rehabilitation in chronic low back pain patients, even if placebo controlled studies are needed to definitively prove the efficacy of the method.