Anthroposophic vs. conventional therapy for chronic low back pain: a prospective comparative study.
OBJECTIVE
To compare anthroposophic treatment (eurythmy, rhythmical massage or art therapy; counselling, anthroposophic medication) and conventional treatment for low back pain (LBP) under routine conditions.


METHODS
62 consecutive outpatients from 38 medical practices in Germany, consulting an anthroposophic (A-) or conventional (C-) physician with LBP of >or= 6 weeks duration participated in a prospective non-randomised comparative study. Main outcomes were Hanover Functional Ability Questionnaire (HFAQ), LBP Rating Scale Pain Score (LBPRS), Symptom Score, and SF-36 after 6 and 12 months.


RESULTS
At baseline, LBP duration was > 6 months in 85% (29/34) of A-patients and 54% (15/28) of C-patients (p = 0.004). Unadjusted analysis showed significant improvements in both groups of HFAQ, LBPRS, Symptom Score, SF-36 Physical Component Summary, and three SF-36 scales (Physical Function, Pain, Vitality), and improvements in A-patients of three further SF-36 scales (Role Physical, General Health, Mental Health). After adjustment for age, gender, LBP duration, and education, improvements were still significant in both groups for Symptom Score (p = 0.030), SF-36 Physical Component Summary (p = 0.004), and three SF-36-scales (Physical Function, p = 0.025; Role Physical, p = 0.014; Pain, p = 0.003), and in A-patients for SF-36-Vitality (p = 0.032). Compared to C-patients, A-patients had significantly more pronounced improvements of three SF-36 scales (Mental Health: p = 0.045; General Health: p = 0.006; Vitality: p = 0.005); other improvements did not differ significantly between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Compared to conventional therapy, anthroposophic therapy for chronic LBP was associated with at least comparable improvements.
Hamre
H J
HJ
Institute for Applied Epistemology and Medical Methodology, Freiburg, Germany. harald.hamre@ifaemm.de
Witt
C M
CM
Glockmann
A
A
Wegscheider
K
K
Ziegler
R
R
Willich
S N
SN
Kiene
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000887:Anthroposophy; D001155:Art Therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003376:Counseling; D026241:Exercise Movement Techniques; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome