Patients with chronic low back pain undergoing physiotherapeutic treatment

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic low back pain is highly prevalent worldwide and is associated with persistent pain, functional limitations, and a significant impact on quality of life. Physical therapy interventions are widely used in the conservative management of this condition; however, the magnitude of their effects on pain and functional disability warrants critical synthesis. Objective: To describe the efficacy of physical therapy interventions in reducing pain intensity and functional disability in adults with chronic low back pain. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL—Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), and LILACS/BVS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature/Virtual Health Library). Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias (ROB 2) tool, and the certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Statistical analyses were performed using a random-effects model. Results: Three trials, totaling 191 participants, were included in the quantitative synthesis. Physical therapy interventions had a favorable effect on reducing pain intensity (g = -0.60; 95% CI: -0.95 to -0.25), with low heterogeneity and moderate certainty of the evidence. For functional disability, a mean difference of -1.32 (95% CI: -2.58 to -0.06) was observed, favoring physical therapy interventions, with substantial heterogeneity and low certainty of evidence. Conclusion: The evidence shows that physical therapy reduces pain in patients with chronic low back pain. There is also evidence of improvement in functional disability, but with low certainty of evidence.