Effectiveness of the physical therapy Godelive Denys-Struyf method for nonspecific low back pain: primary care randomized control trial.
METHODS
A simple blind, random controlled clinical trial.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of physiotherapy treatment based on the muscular and articular chains Godelive Denys-Struyf (GDS) method for nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in primary care.


BACKGROUND
Despite a systematic review by the European COST ACTION B13 "Low back pain: guidelines for its management," there are still many unresolved questions regarding the effectiveness of the different physical therapy treatments used for LBP.


METHODS
21 physicians and physiotherapists in 7 Primary Care Centers and 6 researches in the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).


METHODS
137 patients diagnosed with nonspecific LBP.


METHODS
The control group underwent 15 sessions of conventional physiotherapy in Primary Care Centers, and the experimental group received 15 GDS treatment sessions. Pain was evaluated by Visual Analogical Scale (VAS), functional disability by Oswestry questionnaire, and quality of life by the physical and mental components of SF-36 questionnaire. Outcome measures were assessed before treatment (A1), at the end of treatment (A2), and at 3 months (A3), and 6 months (A4) of follow-up.


RESULTS
Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that at the end of treatment and 3 months later, subjects in both groups showed less pain, reduced functional disability, and an improved quality of life, though improvements were greater in the GDS group.Six months after treatment, patients in the GDS group continued to show reduced pain (VAS(A4-A1) = -3.54, 95% CI: -4.18 to -2.90) while VAS scores in the control group returned to initial values (VAS(A4-A1) = 0.15, 95% CI: -0.36 to 0.67).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of nonspecific LBP using the GDS method provides greater improvements in the midterm (6 months) in terms of the pain, functional ability, and quality of life perceived by patients than the conventional treatment based administered in primary care.
Díaz Arribas
María José
MJ
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. mjdiazar@med.ucm.es
Ramos Sánchez
Mabel
M
Pardo Hervás
Pedro
P
López Chicharro
José
J
Angulo Carreré
Teresa
T
Ortega Molina
Paloma
P
Astasio Arbiza
Paloma
P
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018579:Patient Selection; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013995:Time; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology