Aquatic therapy for pain and mobility management in chronic low back pain patients compared to land-based exercise therapy

Abstract

Introduction: Burton et al. (2006) describe low back pain as pain and discomfort that originates at the costal margin and extends above the gluteal folds and is not caused by a specific condition. Low back pain is divided into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute back pain is defined as pain episodes that last less than 6 weeks, while chronic back pain lasts 12 weeks or longer, according to Burton et al. (2006). Chronic low back pain can have several risk factors, including old age, rapid weight gain, arthritis, spondylosis, spinal stenosis, cancer, and psychological depression and mental instability caused by inadequate pain perception (National Institute of Health., 2000). Low back pain is the leading cause of disability, causing mood disorders, sleeping disruptions, physical incapacity, and social life and activity withdrawal (World Health Organization., 2007) The research question for this project is: Is aquatic therapy more effective than land-based exercise therapy in reducing pain and restoring mobility in chronic low back pain? The PICO elements used: (P) Adults with chronic low back pain (I) Aquatic Therapy (C) Land-based exercise (O) Reduced pain and restored mobility. Methods: The articles were found using a variety of databases, including the University of Malta Library HiDy, NCBI, and Google Scholar. A number of inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to specifically conduct the search. Only patients with chronic low back pain, English language, and an age limit of 18 years or older were included in the study, and the literature was limited to studies published between 2009 and 2021. Only Systematic Reviews (SRs) and Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) pertinent to the PICO question were included in for appraisal. Studies that focused on a different population age, condition, language, or applied different outcomes were discarded. In order to critically assess the study's strength, reliability, and applicability the CASP tool for SRs and RCTs was adopted. Results: In the majority of the studies, aquatic therapy was found to be more effective than land-based exercise in treating chronic low back pain. However, it should be highlighted that none of the studies used in this dissertation were directed at Malta. Therefore, caution should be used when extrapolating these findings to the local population. Conclusion: More study should be done in this area, and a larger sample size should be used locally to produce more reliable and addressed results, according to this dissertation.