A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFEECTIVENESS OF SOFT TISSUE WORK AND TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION: IN PATIENTS WITH NON-SPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN

Abstract

In Pakistan one of the prime etiology in an individual’s to reduced functional activities is low back pain (LBP). Preponderance cases of LBP are non-specific. In physiotherapy clinical practice multiple treatments for non specific low back pain (NSLBP) are accessible i.e: Soft tissue work(STW), Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS), exercises and heat therapy are used. Nonetheless, to detect the facts to calculate their relative efficacy is still required. This study focused to compare the effectiveness of STW versus TENS: in patients with NSLBP. A RCT with two-groups pretest-posttest design was conducted at Physiotherapy OPD, JPMC, Karachi. A total of 40 NSLBP patients with 15 to 45 years age group were inducted through non-probability purposive sampling technique. Baseline screening was done using (Annex-I ). Through systematic random sampling allocation of subjects were taken place into two groups. A-group received STW with standardized exercise protocol(SEP) while B group received TENS with SEP. Calculated data were entered into SPSS V-16.0. For categorical variables percentages and frequencies were computed. Results are expressed in mean and standard deviation and are displaced graphically as well in tables. Each group was compared with final measure after four weeks of data collection as pre and post by using paired t-test and independent t-test. Pain, tenderness and functional disability were assessed using NPRS, TI(tenderness index) and ODI respectively (Annex II-III ). Pre & post treatment scores were documented in (Annex-IV). A maximum rate of drop-out 20% was presumed.  In this study evidenced showed significant decline at the end of treatment sessions in Pain scale, TI and ODI scores in both groups (A & B), Although more obvious reduction was observed in ODI of group-A in comparison to the group-B. It spotlight that STW along with SEP should be used in the patients with NSLBP.