Riassunto dello studio

Fifty-five patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and mild disability were randomized to receive a lumbo-pelvic core stability exercise program alone (n=17), exercise combined with manual therapy (n=16), or exercise combined with kinesiotaping (n=15) over 12 weeks. The primary outcome of interest was perceived low back pain measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included muscle electric activity of the rectus abdominis and multifidus assessed by surface electromyography (sEMG) and the relationship between muscle activation ratios and pain perception. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 weeks. Overall, the results revealed that while all groups experienced significant reductions in pain perception, there were no significant differences between groups. Improvements in sEMG values were observed in the exercise-only group, suggesting an impact on muscle activation. However, VAS improvements were independent of changes in muscle activity. This study suggests that multimodal approaches incorporating manual therapy or kinesiotaping do not provide superior pain relief compared to exercise alone.