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Long-term effects of an outpatient rehabilitation program in patients with chronic recurrent low back pain

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Abstract

Purpose

This longitudinal study investigated long-term effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program consisting of resistance and sensorimotor training, patient education, and stress management over 6 months in patients with chronic low back pain.

Methods

Ninety-six patients with chronic recurrent low back pain performed a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program. We assessed pain-free lumbar spine range of motion (ROM), strength of the lumbar extensor muscles, and pain by visual analog scale (VAS). Furthermore, the Roland–Morris (RM) questionnaire and SF-36 were used. The examinations were performed before and after rehabilitation, and a long-term follow-up was performed after 18 months.

Results

All outcome measurements (ROM, VAS, RM, muscle strength, and SF-36 scores) improved significantly from baseline to the post-rehabilitation evaluation. These improvements were found to persist until a follow-up evaluation 18 months after cessation of the intervention.

Conclusions

Our findings confirm the results of former studies evaluating the short-term effects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs. In addition, our data demonstrate that well-balanced outpatient rehabilitation programs may induce persistent improvements in muscle strength, pain, function and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Alexandra Eßler from the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Vienna for her assistance with the data collection in this study.

Conflict of interest

None declared.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Karin Pieber, Malvina Herceg & Robert Csapo

  2. Karl Landsteiner Institute of Remobilisation and Functional Health, Vienna, Austria

    Michael Quittan

  3. Pension Insurance Institution, Vienna, Austria

    Rudolf Müller

  4. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospital Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

    Guenther F. Wiesinger

Authors
  1. Karin Pieber
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  2. Malvina Herceg
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  3. Michael Quittan
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  4. Robert Csapo
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  5. Rudolf Müller
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  6. Guenther F. Wiesinger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karin Pieber.

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Pieber, K., Herceg, M., Quittan, M. et al. Long-term effects of an outpatient rehabilitation program in patients with chronic recurrent low back pain. Eur Spine J 23, 779–785 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-3156-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-3156-z

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