Exercise interventions for persistent non-specific low back pain – does matching outcomes to treatment targets make a difference? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Exercise is a core recommended treatment for patients with persistent non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) in almost all international guidelines 49,62 with no evidence that one type of exercise is superior to another 41. NSLBP has the highest consultation prevalence among musculoskeletal conditions, and is most frequently managed in primary care 54. Despite the documented benefits of exercise more generally 5, 3, the standardised mean differences (SMDs) between exercise for NSLBP and non-exercise comparison/control interventions in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are small to moderate 3,41, suggesting that they provide, at best, modest benefits over other treatments.

from The Journal of Pain https://ift.tt/2YkAOJT
via IFTTT