The Effect of Intensive Group Exercise in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of 15 weeks of intensive bi-weekly group exercise in sedentary subjects with long-lasting chronic low back pain (CLBP). Twenty-nine sedentary subjects with long-lasting CLBP were successively assigned to an exercise group (EG, n=16) or a control group (CG, n=13). Patients in the EG exercised for 75 min bi-weekly for 15 weeks. The CG followed traditional medical care. Cardiovascular fitness, back and abdominal muscle strength, and flexibility of hip muscles and the spine were measured before and after treatment. Outcome measures were low back pain (visual analogue scale, VAS), functional disability (the revised Oswestry LBP Disability Index), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HAD), and active and passive pain coping strategies (Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory, VPMI). The results showed statistically significant differences between the groups in advantage of the EG in all physical capacity tests, except for cardiovascular fitness. Outcome measures showed a statistically significant positive effect in favor of the EG in functional disability (p<0.03) and depression (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant reduction in VAS. The limitations of this study are lack of blinding, a non-randomized design, and a small sample size. However, the results are promising and demonstrate that sedentary patients with long-lasting LBP can carry out intensive physical exercise. The group exercise program was effective in improving physical impairment and reducing functional disability and depression.