Abstract
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low back pain is a disorder affecting people of all ages, being among major diseases leading individuals to look for health professionals' help. Clinicians agree that back pain is a heterogeneous condition, however there is no uniformity in the choice of most effective methods to manage pain. This study aimed at evaluating the contribution of the McKenzie method to manage low back pain, in addition to checking whether there is comparison of McKenzie with other treatment modalities. CONTENTS: Health Virtual Library and Pubmed portals were queried from November 2013 to March 2014. All studies were analyzed according to quality criteria established by the PEDro scale, in addition to inclusion and exclusion criteria established by the authors. Of 353 studies found, just six were considered eligible. McKenzie method compared to other therapeutic approaches was effective in functional performance and dysfunction indices, however there has been discrepancy of results due to heterogeneous samples of different clinical trials. CONCLUSION: Although having contributed to manage low back pain patients, McKenzie method requires further studies to validate the technique in specific patient groups.
Highlights
Low back pain reaches epidemic levels worldwide[1]
McKenzie method (MDT) is a treatment system developed by New Zealander physiotherapist Robin McKenzie, which consists of evaluation, treatment and prophylaxis stages, with the following bases: 1) classification of disorders related to spine and extremities; 2) centralization phenomenon and is reverse; 3) classification of patients according to three mechanical or non-mechanical syndromes of derange
This review could identify that current scientific evidences do not supply health professionals with enough information to guide the decision-making process during the choice of interventions for low back pain management, resulting in outcomes below expectations and wide variations between techniques employed by different therapists
Summary
Low back pain reaches epidemic levels worldwide[1] It is considered a heterogeneous clinical condition affecting a certain spinal region and is primarily related to the incorrect use of human biomechanics[1]. Low back pain is responsible for significant part of the demand for health services and is a multidimensional phenomenon involving psychosocial, behavioral and pathophysiological processes[2,3,4]. It represents an important global and socioeconomic problem, since it is a disabling condition with high costs both for individuals and the society[5,6].
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