Abstract
Objectives
To determine whether individualised manual therapy plus guideline-based advice results in superior outcomes to advice alone in participants with clinical features potentially indicative of lumbar zygapophyseal joint pain.
Design
Multi centre parallel group randomised controlled trial.
Setting
14 physiotherapy clinics in Melbourne, Australia.
Participants
Sixty-four participants with clinical features potentially indicative of lumbar zygapophyseal joint pain.
Interventions
10-weeks of physiotherapy comprising individualised manual therapy based on pathoanatomical, psychosocial and neurophysiological barriers to recovery plus guideline-based advice (10 sessions) or advice alone (two sessions).
Main outcome measures
Primary outcomes were activity limitation (Oswestry Disability Index), and separate 0 to 10 numerical rating scales for leg pain and back pain. Measures were taken at baseline and 5, 10, 26 and 52-week.
Results
Between-group differences for back pain favoured individualised manual therapy over advice for back pain at 5 (1.0; 95% CI 0.6 to 2.0), 10 (1.5; 95% CI 0.5 to 2.4) and 26-weeks (1.4; 95% CI 0.4 to 2.3) as well as for activity limitation at 26 (8.3; 95% CI 2.6 to 14.2) and 52-weeks (8.2; 95% CI 2.3 to 14.2). There were no significant between-group differences for leg pain. Secondary outcomes and responder analyses also favoured individualised manual therapy at almost all time-points.
Conclusions
In participants with clinical features potentially indicative of lumbar zygapophyseal joint pain, individualised manual therapy led to greater reduction in back pain at 5, 10 and 26-week follow-up as well as activity limitation at 26 and 52-weeks. Between-group differences were likely to be clinically important.
Trial registration
ACTRN12609000334202.
Citation
Individualised manual therapy plus guideline-based advice vs advice alone for people with clinical features of lumbar zygapophyseal joint pain: a randomised controlled trial