Lower back pain in the lumbosacral region of the spine as a social problem for patients attending preventive physiotherapy - a comparison of cohorts.

Introduction and objective: Lumbar-sacral spine pain is becoming a civilization problem in highly developed countries. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the frequency and number of physiotherapy treatments in a cycle on pain sensation, and on changes in mobility and muscle tension in subacute and chronic lumbar-sacral spine pain.

Material and methods: A total of 100 patients (50 women and 50 men) were included in the study and assigned to two groups. It was found that extending the cycle of physiotherapy treatments by reducing their frequency and number and using manual therapy as a special kinesitherapy method produced better results in reducing pain sensation, compared to using physiotherapy treatments every day for two weeks using traditional kinesitherapy in patients with subacute and chronic lumbar-sacral spine pain.

Results: These methods increased lumbar spine mobility compared to daily physiotherapy for two weeks using traditional kinesitherapy in patients with subacute and chronic low back pain, reduced resting muscle tension compared to daily physiotherapy for two weeks using traditional kinesitherapy in patients with subacute and chronic low back pain, and resulted in better quality of life scores compared to daily physiotherapy for two weeks using traditional kinesitherapy in patients with subacute and chronic low back pain. Objective tests, such as assessment of spine mobility using an inclinometer and assessment of paraspinal muscle tension using transcutaneous electromyography, were used to verify subjective results.

Conclusions: In patients with subacute and chronic low back pain, the frequency and number of physiotherapy sessions should be verified to optimize clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of therapy.