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A. Shah1, M. Sheth2, D. Shah3
1Gujarat University, Physiotherapy, Ahmedabad, India, 2S.B.B College of Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, Ahmedabad, India, 3Mission Health, Physiotherapy, Ahmedabad, India
Background: Lumbar radiculopathy is a prevalent complaint (12-40%) made by subjects with low back pain. It causes pain and various functional limitations like gait deviations, reduction of walking duration, etc. Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy (DTS) is a relatively newer technology that has changed the management of lumbar radiculopathy. It has been found to relieve pain, improve neurologic symptoms, improve disc height and reduce intervertebral pressures in various spinal pathologies. There are relatively few studies that have tried to focus on the effect of DTS on walking duration, though.
Purpose: Purpose of the study was to see the effect of Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy on low back pain measured using numerical pain rating scale, radicular symptoms measured using numerical rating scale and duration of walking in seconds in subjects with lumbar radiculopathy.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial using a random number generator was carried out with 80 subjects having lumbar radiculopathy. Forty subjects were included in each group. The experimental group received DTS in the supine position with the traction force equivalent to one-third to half of the subject body weight ± 5 kgs. The angle of decompression was calculated based on the MRI findings. The treatment duration was based on the number of levels involved (ranging from 15-30 minutes). The experimental and control groups received 20 minutes of conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) from lower back up to the legs depending on the area of symptoms (post DTS for experimental group), 10 minutes hot water fomentation and 10 repetitions of core stabilization exercises for the activation of Multifidus, Transversus Abdominis, pelvic floor and diaphragm along with lower extremity strengthening exercises for all the major muscle groups. Pain in the low back was measured using numerical pain rating scale, radicular symptoms measured using numerical rating scale and walking duration was measured in seconds on the first day before the intervention and the last day after the intervention. Level of significance was kept at 5%.
Results: Mann Whitney U test was used to analyze the differences between both the groups for all outcome measures. Statistically significant differences were observed for NPRS (Z=-7.694, p<0.001), NRS (Z=-7.806, p<0.001), walking duration (Z=-6.89, p<0.001).
Conclusion(s): This concludes that non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is an effective treatment that can be used in subjects with lumbar radiculopathy to relieve pain and radicular symptoms and improve walking duration.
Implications: Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy can be used as a part of the rehabilitation program for lumbar radiculopathy subjects to improve functional outcomes as in walking. Future research can be done on determining the long term effect of DTS on walking duration and the effect of DTS on radiologic parameters.
Funding, acknowledgements: None
Keywords: Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy, walking duration, lumbar radiculopathy
Topic: Musculoskeletal: spine
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Medilink Hospital
Committee: Medilink Ethics Committee
Ethics number: 42812
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
