RT Journal Article
T1 Isolated Exercise Interventions for Acute Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
A1 Cardellat González, Melania
A1 González Gómez, Luis
A1 Guzmán Gómez, Juan David
A1 Blanco Heras, Laura
A1 Arana Rodríguez, Andrés
A1 Rodríguez Domínguez, Álvaro José
AB Background: Therapeutic exercise (TE) is recommended as the first line of treatment for low back pain (LBP), but questions remain about the true efficacy of TE in the acute phase. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of isolated TE in reducing pain intensity and disability in patients with acute or subacute LBP. Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that analyzed therapeutic exercise alone in one of the intervention groups and assessed pain intensity and disability were included; both outcomes were considered primary in this review. The quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE tool. Results: Five RCTs were included. Meta-analyses were performed in subgroups according to the comparators: usual care, education,  manual therapy, and bed rest. Statistically significant differences in favor of TE were found only when compared to usual care (SMD = −0.23; 95% CI [−0.45, −0.01]; p = 0.04). Conclusions: TE, when prescribed as an isolated intervention, appears to be more effective than usual care in improving short-term disability outcomes in patients with acute LBP. However, the limited quality and number of available studies, together with the typically favorable natural course of acute LBP, suggest that these findings should be interpreted with caution. Current evidence supports the integration of exercise within a comprehensive, multimodal management plan that addresses the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of pain.
PB MDPI
SN 2227-9032 (electrónico)
YR 2025
FD 2025-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27160
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27160
LA eng
NO Cardellat-González, M., González-Gómez, L., Guzmán-Gómez, J.-D., Blanco-Heras, L., Arana-Rodríguez, A., & Rodríguez-Domínguez, Á.-J. (2025). Isolated Exercise Interventions for Acute Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Healthcare, 13(17), 2209. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172209
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026