Effectiveness of device-based therapy for conservative management of low back pain

[Purpose] Device based therapy for low back pain (LBP) involves quantitative assessment of muscle strength, resistance and lumbar motion and tailoring the rehabilitation protocol based on this objective assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of device based therapy for LBP. [Subjects and Methods] In this retrospective study, clinical data of 235 patients who underwent device-based physiotherapy for low back pain was reviewed. Pre and post-treatment outcome measures for pain (visual analogue scale or VAS score), disability (Oswestry disability index) and functional ability were compared to determine effectiveness of device-based physiotherapy at the end of 6 weeks of treatment. [Results] All outcome measures including VAS Score and mean Oswestry Disability Score showed significant improvement at the end of 6 weeks of device-based physical therapy. Before treatment, 73% of patients had moderate to severe disability which reduced to 28% after treatment. [Conclusion] Device-based therapy is effective in relieving pain, improving function and reducing disability in patients with low back pain in the short term. Device-based therapy may help to objectively evaluate the function of the spine and paraspinal muscles and help the therapist tailor treatment accordingly.