Physiotherapy-based rehabilitation following disc herniation operation: results of a randomized clinical trial.

STUDY DESIGN: Three-group, randomized, single blinded, controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of physiotherapy-based rehabilitation starting 1 week after lumbar disc surgery. In addition, we tried to estimate the contribution of specific effects to the observed outcome (efficacy). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Physiotherapy-based rehabilitation is usually recommended for patients following lumbar disc surgery. Few and conflicting data exist for the relative effectiveness of this intervention. METHODS: A total of 120 patients following first-time, uncomplicated lumbar disc surgery were randomly assigned to "comprehensive" physiotherapy, "sham" neck massage, or no therapy. Before enrollment, all subjects completed a minimal physiotherapeutic intervention. Physiotherapy was administered by experienced physiotherapists and consisted of 20 sessions per patient over 12 weeks. Masseurs administered "sham massage" to the neck. The amount of treatment time was equal to that of physiotherapy. The main outcome measure was the Low Back Pain Rating Score (LBPRS) at 6 and 12 weeks, and 1.5 years after randomization. Secondary parameters were patients' overall satisfaction with treatment outcome and socioeconomic and psychologic measures. RESULTS: At the end of therapy (12 weeks), the LBPRS revealed a significantly better improvement in the physiotherapy group than in the untreated group. LBPRS outcome, however, did not significantly differ between physiotherapy and "sham" therapy. There was a tendency toward significance between the sham therapy and no therapy. Within the 1.5-year follow-up, LBP rating scales remained significantly improved compared with baseline, but there were no significant outcome differences. No statistically significant between-group differences were found for the secondary outcome parameters. CONCLUSION: As compared with no therapy, physiotherapy following first-time disc herniation operation is effective in the short-term. Because of the limited benefits of physiotherapy relative to "sham" therapy, it is open to question whether this treatment acts primarily physiologically in patients following first-time lumbar disc surgery, but psychological factors may contribute substantially to the benefits observed.

Pulsed magnetic field therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee--a double-blind sham-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Pulsed magnetic field therapy is frequently used to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis, although its efficacy has not been proven. We conducted a randomized, double-blind comparison of pulsed magnetic field and sham therapy in patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee. Patients were assigned to receive 84 sessions, each with a duration of 30 minutes, of either pulsed magnetic field or sham treatment. Patients administered the treatment on their own at home, twice a day for six weeks. RESULTS: According to a sample size estimation, 36 consecutive patients were enrolled. 34 patients completed the study, two of whom had to be excluded from the statistical analysis, as they had not applied the PMF sufficiently. Thus, 15 verum and 17 sham-treated patients were enrolled in the statistical analysis. After six weeks of treatment the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index was reduced in the pulsed magnetic field-group from 84.1 (+/- 45.1) to 49.7 (+/- 31.6), and from 73.7 (+/- 43.3) to 66.9 (+/- 52.9) in the sham-treated group (p = 0.03). The following secondary parameters improved in the pulsed magnetic field group more than they did in the sham group: gait speed at fast walking [+6.0 meters per minute (1.6 to 10.4) vs. -3.2 (-8.5 to 2.2)], stride length at fast walking [+6.9 cm (0.2 to 13.7) vs. -2.9 (-8.8 to 2.9)], and acceleration time in the isokinetic dynamometry strength tests [-7.0% (-15.2 to 1.3) vs. 10.1% (-0.3 to 20.6)]. CONCLUSION: In patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee, PMF treatment can reduce impairment in activities of daily life and improve knee function.