STRETCHING IN THE REHABILITATION OF LOW-BACK-PAIN PATIENTS

The major objective of this investigation was to study the effectiveness of the physical conditioning program used at the University of Miami Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation Center in restoring certain elements of the functional abilities of individuals suffering from chronic low-back pain and to evaluate the effectiveness of using a systematically applied, aggressive stretching maneuver as an add-on therapy in the treatment of chronic low-back pain patients. The effect(s) of the proposed stretching maneuver was evaluated. Twenty-eight chronic low-back pain patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The control group underwent a multimodal rehabilitation program, and the experimental group underwent the same rehabilitation program in addition to the systematic stretching maneuver under investigation. The results obtained showed that patients undergoing the multimodal rehabilitation program with and without the proposed systematic stretching maneuver showed a significant improvement in their functional abilities as seen from the significant increase in the static strength of the back extensors, with corresponding significant increase in back muscle myoelectric signals. Also, a significant decrease in their pain level was reported after 2 weeks of continuous treatment. The use of the systematic stretching maneuver enhanced the functional gains of chronic low-back pain patients compared to the control group.