Clinical Pilates versus General Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain: Randomized Trial
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 06/22/2012
Clinical Article
Wajswelner H et al. – An individualized clinical Pilates program produced similar beneficial effects on self–reported disability, pain, function and health–related quality of life as a general exercise program in community volunteers with chronic low back pain.
Methods- Eighty–seven community volunteers with low back pain for ≥3 months and age 18–70 were randomized to either the Pilates (n = 44) or general exercise (n = 43) group.
- The primary outcome was pain/disability measured with the Quebec scale.
- Secondary outcomes included pain on a numeric rating scale, Patient–Specific Functional Scale, Pain Self–efficacy Questionnaire, quality of life, and global perceived effect of treatment.
- All participants attended 60–min exercise sessions twice weekly for 6 wk supervised by a physiotherapist and performed daily home exercises that were continued during the follow–up.
- Participants from the clinical Pilates group received an individualized direction–specific exercise program prescribed by the physiotherapist after a clinical examination.
- The general exercise group received a generic set of exercises that were multidirectional and nonspecific.
- Outcomes were assessed after 6 wk (primary time point) and at 12 and 24 wk.
- Differences in mean change were compared between groups using ANCOVA adjusted for baseline values of the outcome.
- Eighty–three participants (96%) completed the 6–wk intervention and 60 (69%) completed the 24–wk follow–up.
- At 6 wk, no difference was found between groups for change in the Quebec scale (3.5, 95% confidence interval = –7.3 to 0.3, P = 0.07); both groups showed significant improvements.
- Similar results were found at the 12– and 24–wk follow–up and for the secondary outcome measures.
