These data suggest that the activity levels of patients with NSLBP are neither associated with , nor predictive of , disability or pain levels .
Although clinical guidelines advocate exercise and activity in the management of non-specific low back pain ( NSLBP ) , the link between levels of physical activity and outcomes is unclear .
This systematic review investigated the relationships between free living activity levels  after onset of low back pain ( LBP ) and measures of pain , and disability in patients with NSLBP .
Effectiveness of a home exercise programme in low back pain: a randomized five-year follow-up study.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Therapeutic exercise has been shown to be beneficial in decreasing pain and in increasing functioning in patients with chronic low back pain . However , longitudinal follow-up studies are small in number , and often limited in the numbers of subjects due to drop-outs . In addition there is a shortage of real control groups in most cases . The purpose of the present study was to describe long-term changes in intensity of low back pain and in functioning for two study groups five years after undertaking a home exercise programme . METHOD This was a r and omized follow-up study over five years . Fifty-seven subjects were reassessed with question naires five years after their initial recruitment for an intervention study . A home exercise group ( n = 29 ) , with training once a day , and a control group ( n = 28 ) , without exercise , were included in the present study protocol . The primary outcome measurements included a question naire on the intensity of low back pain ( Borg CR-10 scale ) and on functioning ( Oswestry Disability Index ; ODI ) . The confounding physical activity was controlled with metabolic unit ( MET ) values . RESULTS The CR-10 and ODI scores decreased during the first three months in both study groups . During the follow-ups , the corresponding indicators of the home exercise group remained below baseline values . The CR-10 score was significantly lower in the home exercise group ( p = 0.01 ) during the last five-year follow-up session compared with the control group . Overall physical activity decreased slightly during the five-year follow-up , but there were no differences between the two study groups . CONCLUSIONS The present r and omized study indicates that supervised , controlled home exercises lead to reduced low back pain , and that positive effects were preserved over five years
These data suggest that the activity levels of patients with NSLBP are neither associated with , nor predictive of , disability or pain levels .
Although clinical guidelines advocate exercise and activity in the management of non-specific low back pain ( NSLBP ) , the link between levels of physical activity and outcomes is unclear .
This systematic review investigated the relationships between free living activity levels  after onset of low back pain ( LBP ) and measures of pain , and disability in patients with NSLBP .