Abstract
BackgroundChronic low back pain is a highly prevalent condition, which is associated with high direct and indirect costs to the society. Although this condition is highly prevalent, it is still extremely difficult to treat. Two potentially useful treatments for patients with chronic low back pain are called the McKenzie and Back School treatment programs. These programs have good biological plausibility, are widely available and have a modest cost. Although these treatments are already available for patients, the evidence that supports their use is largely based on low quality methodological studies. Therefore, a high-quality randomised controlled trial is required to compare, for the first time, the effectiveness of these treatments in patients with chronic low back pain.Methods/designOne hundred and forty-eight patients will be randomly allocated to a four-week treatment program based upon the McKenzie or Back School principles. Clinical outcomes (pain intensity, disability, quality of life, and trunk flexion range of motion) will be obtained at follow-up appointments at 1, 3 and 6 months after randomisation. The data will be collected by an assessor who will be blinded to the group allocation.DiscussionThis will be the first study aimed to compare the McKenzie and Back School approaches in patients with chronic low back pain. The results of this trial may help in the decision-making process of allied health providers for the treatment of chronic low back pain and reduce the health-related costs of this condition.Trial RegistrationACTRN12610000435088
Highlights
Chronic low back pain is a highly prevalent condition, which is associated with high direct and indirect costs to the society
This will be the first study aimed to compare the McKenzie and Back School approaches in patients with chronic low back pain
The results of this trial may help in the decision-making process of allied health providers for the treatment of chronic low back pain and reduce the health-related costs of this condition
Summary
Chronic low back pain is a highly prevalent condition, which is associated with high direct and indirect costs to the society. Two potentially useful treatments for patients with chronic low back pain are called the McKenzie and Back School treatment programs These programs have good biological plausibility, are widely available and have a modest cost. These treatments are already available for patients, the evidence that supports their use is largely based on low quality methodological studies. Given the high prevalence of this condition, low back pain is considered to be an important public health problem in many countries, including the United States [2], Australia [3], and European countries [4]. The probability of recovery is considerably lower for chronic patients compared to patients with acute low back pain, making it necessary to develop better treatments for patients with chronic low back pain
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