Miller, E, Schenk, R, Karnes, J, Rousselle, J; Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, UT and Sterling Medical Park, Kaleida Health Systems, Orchard Park, NY. Millere@dyc.edu.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of two specific exercise programs for the management of patients with chronic low back pain. SUBJECTS: Thirty subjects with chronic low back pain (greater than 7 weeks in duration) were selected as a sample of convenience from patients referred to an outpatient physical therapy clinic. The sample consisted of 14 female and 16 male subjects ranging in age from 19 to 87 with an average age of 47.4 years. The average duration of symptoms for the sample was 26.4 months with 11 out of 30 subjects experiencing pain radiating into the lower extremity at the time of the study. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. All subjects completed a Functional Status Questionnaire and a short form-McGill Pain Questionnaire upon entrance to the study and at the completion of the intervention period. Passive straight leg raising was also assessed pre and posttest. Both groups underwent a 6-week treatment period being seen approximately one time per week with an average of 5 total visits per patient. One group received training in the specific co-activation of the lumbar multifidus and transversus abdominus while performing dynamic and functional stabilization exercises. The other group was managed using a McKenzie protocol, which is based on the patient’s response to repeated end-range movements. ANALYSES: Analyses were performed using SPSS 8.0 macros downloaded from the web site. Statistical significance for all data analyses was set at p<0.05. No difference existed between groups for subject characteristics and baseline data upon entrance to the study. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and Mann Whitney U-Tests were utilized to assess for within group and between group differences from pre to posttest. RESULTS. Both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement pretest versus posttest (p<0.05) for within group comparisons. Between group comparisons of changes in the dependent variable scores revealed no statistical differences (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that while both interventions were found to be beneficial, no difference existed in the effectiveness of these treatments for the management of individuals with nonspecific chronic low back pain. FUNDING SOURCE: None.

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