CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS POSITIONAL RELEASE TECHNIQUE IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK DYSFUNCTION

Abstract

Background: Chronic low back dysfunction (CLBD) is the most common problem of the working-age population in modern industrial society. It is not a life-threatening illness but it has a long-term impact on medical care expenditures for injured workers. Purpose: To compare the effect of conventional therapy and positional release technique on pain, lumbar range of motion and functional disability in patients with chronic low back dysfunction. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients from both sexes were diagnosed with CLBP, aged 30 to 60 years and were divided randomly into two equal groups with thirty patients in each group; group A received conventional therapy that include (infrared, ultrasound, stretch and strength exercises for back and abdominal muscles) and group B received positional release technique. The treatment sessions were applied 3 days per week for 6 weeks. The pain was measured by Visual Analogue Scale, the lumbar range of motion was measured by Inclinometer and Functional disability was measured by Oswestry disability scale. Measurements were taken at two intervals pre-treatment and post treatment. Results: The result of the current study revealed that there was a statistically significant reduction (p <0.05) in pain level and functional disability and significant increase (p <0.05) in lumbar flexion in favor to group A than group B. Conclusion: Positional release technique and conventional therapy may be an effective treatment for individuals with chronic low back dysfunction although the result of this study revealed that conventional therapy has a significant improvement in pain severity, functional disability and lumbar flexion range of motion than posi-tional release technique.