Segmental stabilizing exercises and low back pain: What is the evidence?

Study design: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of segmental stabilizing
exercises for acute, subacute and chronic low back pain with regard
to pain, recurrence of pain, disability and return to work.
Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Controlled Trials
Register, PEDro and article reference lists were searched from 1988
onward. Randomized controlled trials with segmental stabilizing
exercises for adult low back pain patients were included. Four
comparisons were foreseen: (1) effectiveness of segmental
stabilizing exercises versus treatment by general practitioner
(GP); (2) effectiveness of segmental stabilizing exercises versus
other physiotherapy treatment; (3) effectiveness of segmental
stabilizing exercises combined with other physiotherapy treatment
versus treatment by GP and (4) effectiveness of segmental
stabilizing exercises combined with other physiotherapy treatment
versus other physiotherapy treatment. Results: Seven trials were
included. For acute low back pain, segmental stabilizing exercises
are equally effective in reducing short-term disability and pain
and more effective in reducing long-term recurrence of low back
pain than treatment by GP. For chronic low back pain, segmental
stabilizing exercises are, in the short and long term, more
effective than GP treatment and may be as effective as other
physiotherapy treatments in reducing disability and pain. There is
limited evidence that segmental stabilizing exercises additional to
other physiotherapy treatment are equally effective for pain and
more effective concerning disability than other physiotherapy
treatments alone. There is no evidence concerning subacute low back
pain. Conclusion: For low back pain, segmental stabilizing
exercises are more effective than treatment by GP but they are not
more effective than other physiotherapy interventions.