Interventions such as supervised or individualised exercise therapy and self-management techniques may enhance exercise adherence .
BACKGROUND Chronic musculoskeletal pain ( CMP ) is a major health problem , accounting for approximately one-quarter of general practice ( GP ) consultations in the United Kingdom ( UK ) .
Exercise and physical activity is beneficial for the most common types of CMP , such as back and knee pain .
However , poor adherence to exercise and physical activity may limit long-term effectiveness .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions to improve adherence to exercise and physical activity for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain .
Evaluation of a specific home exercise program for low back pain.
BACKGROUND The prescription of exercise as a conservative treatment for lumbar pain is frequent and seems effective for the chronic cases of nonspecific low back pain . However , there is no evidence favoring one type of exercise over another . Often , exercise programs are prescribed without adequate evaluation of the individual characteristics like posture , muscular force , and extensibility . Patients with totally different causes of low back pain will often be given the same type of exercises . OBJECTIVE Our objective was to compare the effectiveness of 2 home exercise programs in decreasing disability and pain related to subacute and chronic nonspecific low back pain . To do so we compared a specific ( individualized ) exercise program with a program of commonly prescribed exercises for low back pain . METHOD In a control group study , 20 patients with chronic or subacute nonspecific low back pain participated after giving their informed consent . All subjects were evaluated ( physical evaluation of lumbar and pelvic muscles [ 1 ] force and [ 2 ] extensibility , [ 3 ] trunk range of motion ) and then divided in 2 groups : 10 patients received specific exercises ( experimental group ) based on their evaluation , and 10 patients received a commonly prescribed exercise program for low back pain ( control group ) . Six weeks later a second physical evaluation was conducted . Pain ( visual analog pain scale ) and disability ( modified Oswestry ) question naires were also completed by each subject at both evaluations . DESIGN This was a r and omized experimental study . RESULTS Both groups had similar age , weight , and sex characteristics . The experimental group showed significant improvements for some components targeted by the program . The control group significantly had improvement of some physical characteristics not related to their initial deficits . Even if both groups showed some improvements in muscular force and extensibility , only the members of the group who received specific exercises significantly reduced their level of pain and disability . Both groups showed a similar rate of participation in the program . CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that applying a specific physical evaluation and exercise prescription is an appropriate treatment for people having subacute or chronic nonspecific pain . Thus clinicians should prescribe exercise programs based on individual muscular deficits rather than most commonly prescribed exercise programs
Interventions such as supervised or individualised exercise therapy and self-management techniques may enhance exercise adherence .
BACKGROUND Chronic musculoskeletal pain ( CMP ) is a major health problem , accounting for approximately one-quarter of general practice ( GP ) consultations in the United Kingdom ( UK ) .
Exercise and physical activity is beneficial for the most common types of CMP , such as back and knee pain .
However , poor adherence to exercise and physical activity may limit long-term effectiveness .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions to improve adherence to exercise and physical activity for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain .