Non-surgical Spinal Decompression in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

Not Applicable

Completed

Interventions: Device: Spinal decompression with BTL-6000 spinal decompression system (BTL Industries Ltd.)

Brief Summary: The goal of this quasi-experimental trial was to evaluate the effects of non-surgical spinal decompression on disability and pain in patients with chronic low back pain and sciatica throughout a two-month follow-up, and to analyze the relationship between demographic factors and clinical outcomes after a program of non-surgical spinal decompression.

The main questions it aims to answer were:

* Non-surgical spinal decompression is effective to reduce pain intensity and self-reported disability in patients with chronic low back pain and sciatica?

* Age, level of education and work activities are related with clinical outcome in patients treated with non-surgical spinal decompression?

Participants underwent eight sessions, three per week, with the BTL-6000 spinal decompression system. The study did not have a comparison group.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Patients treated with non-surgical spinal decompression	Spinal decompression with BTL-6000 spinal decompression system (BTL Industries Ltd.)	The patients were positioned in supine with adjustable lumbar, and thoracic belts attached to the traction cord. After tightening the belts, the M7 position was selected to achieve hip and knee flexion, and posterior pelvic tilt of 25° was added. Before starting the therapy, the weight of the subject was entered in the panel, and a short tolerance test was carried out. Patients were provided with a manual switch to stop treatment any time. Preset lumbar disc herniation protocol was used. Each session lasted fifteen minutes, applied force had 100-gram step increments, and did not exceed 50% of the weight of the patient. At the end of the therapy, the cord was disconnected and belts were removed. Participants were asked to sit for three minutes to identify any adverse reaction.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Pain intensity	Baseline, at the end of the eighth session, and at 2nd-month follow-up.	Pain intensity was also evaluated with the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), a popular clinical tool consisting of a numbered straight line from zero (no pain) to ten (the worst pain), where the patients registered their current pain intensity.
Self-reported disability	Baseline, at the end of the eighth session, and at 2nd-month follow-up.	We measured self-reported disability associated with spine disorders through the spanish version of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), a reliable and validated instrument composed by ten sections (pain intensity, personal care, lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, sex life, social life and traveling), in which the patient grades the disability from zero (no limitation) to five (limitation prevents me from performing the activity). The ODI final score was calculated with the following formula: \[total score/(5 x number of answered questions)\] x 100%, and interpreted as the higher the score, the greater the disability.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method

Locations (1): Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Fray Antonio Alcalde
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Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

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