Efficacy of Muscle Energy Techniques in the Treatment of Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain

University of Lahore

Status: Completed

Conditions: Low Back Pain, Mechanical

Treatments: Other: Muscle Energy Technique plus Conventional Physical Therapy; Other: Conventional Physical Therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05939024

Rashid

Details and patient eligibility

About

Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain is characterized as a tension, soreness and stiffness. Various studies, defined MET as a manual medicine treatment procedure that involves the voluntary contraction of the subject's muscle in a precisely controlled direction, at varying levels of intensity, against a distinctly executed counterforce applied by the therapist.

Full description

Chronic Non-specific LBP is located in region below lower costal margins and above inferior gluteal margins with or without any referred pain in legs, an essentially non-attributable to any specific cause. It may lasting for more than 7-12 months and affect individual over a long period of time once in a lifetime at least. METs is useful in increasing extensibility and range of motion of various joints and provides good results in the patients with back pain. These techniques are used as the treatment of weakened muscles, restricted joints, reducing pain reliving muscle tension & spasm, & increased strength of the muscle. MET is a verstile, safe, gentle technique traditionally used to address muscular strain, PAIN, local edema and joint dysfunction. It was reported that post isometric relaxation is considered a highly effective therapy for back dysfunction patients.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 45 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Age: 18 - 45 years
2. Gender : both genders
3. Low Back Pain of more than 3 months duration
4. ODI Score between 20-80%
5. BMI: 25-29 Kg/m2
6. VAS: Initial Pain Score > 3
7. Pain Localized to Lower Lumbar Region
8. Decreased Lumbar ROM

Exclusion criteria

1. Red Flag Signs of Low Back Pain (Metabolic Bone Disease, Malignancy, Cardiovascular Disorder, Pregnancy)
2. Patient with Paraesthesia or Numbness
3. Disturbed Reflexes (Hypo/Hyper Reflexia)
4. Motor Weakness
5. H/O Low Back Surgery
6. H/O Recent Trauma < 2 Months
7. H/O Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis and Fracture
8. Joint hyper mobility.
9. Psychological Mental Disorders

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

100 participants in 2 patient groups

Conventional Physical Therapy (CPT) Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients in this group will receive Conventional Physical therapy only, which includes hot pack, TENS, Ultrasonic, stretching and strengthening exercises.

Treatment:

Other: Conventional Physical Therapy

Muscle Energy Technique plus Conventional Physical Therapy Group

Experimental group

Description:

In this group, Post Isometric Relaxation of the Muscle Energy Techniques will be applied to the Spinal Stabilizers and Mechanoreceptors in addition to Conventional Physical Therapy.

Treatment:

Other: Muscle Energy Technique plus Conventional Physical Therapy