Effectiveness of Ultrasound Therapy on the Management of Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Non-specific chronic low back pain is the most common self-reported kind of musculoskeletal ache associated with substantial health and socioeconomic problem and responsible for most years lived with a disability as compared with any other medical condition. So treating chronic non-specific low back pain is one of the main problems faced among physical therapists in the rehabilitation area. The effects of ultrasound for patients with non-specific chronic low back pain remain unknown, however it is commonly used to treat clients with low back pain in rehabilitation setting. Therefore, the main aim of this review was to evaluate the up-to-date confirmation in the efficacy of ultrasound therapy on the treatment of non-specific chronic low back pain. A comprehensive search of four computerized electronic databases was performed to identify the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy on the management of chronic non-specific low back pain. Searching was done through the Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Physiotherapy Evidence Databases (PEDro) and reported using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. The qualities of articles were appraised by the PEDro scale. The primary outcome measure visual analog scale was used. Six randomized clinical trials with a total sample size of 699 patients from the electronic database published in English were identified. In this review, the effect of UST in five articles was statically significant in reducing the visual analog scale (p<0.05) score. So this systematic review found ultrasound therapy could be an alternative treatment to reduce the intensity of pain in subjects with non-specific chronic LBP.

Multimodal treatment program in non-specific low back pain – A case series

“…The A previous systematic review explained that UST evidence of chronic NSLBP had a small effect on improving low back function in the short term compared with placebo (Ebadi et al, 2014). Meanwhile, a recent systematic review that included 699 patients proved that UST was able to reduce visual analog scale scores in chronic NSLBP (Haile et al, 2021). UST is an electrophysical agent utilizing acoustic energy at a frequency of 1.0 -3.0…”

“…The standard intervention that can be applied to NSLBP is a combination of electrotherapy (such as ultrasound therapy/UST) and exercise therapy techniques (such as stretching training) (Câmara-Gomes et al, 2022;Haile et al, 2021;Oliveira et al, 2018;Shiri et al, 2018).…”

“…In a previous systematic review study, from the 6 RCT studies used, two studies reported long-term effects that did not last from week 8 to 6 months post-intervention of UST in pain score (Haile et al, 2021).…”

Is Online Exercise at Home More Effective Than Hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy in Patients With Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain? A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Research shows that hydrotherapy can positively affect pain, strength, muscle flexibility, performance, self-confidence, fitness, and stress reduction in disorders, such as LBP [10]. Furthermore, physiotherapy methods, including using ultrasound devices [12], Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) [21], and hot water packs [22], have been old and very common applications in reducing patients' back pain. Ultrasound and TENS devices, through surface waves and electrical stimulation with the help of a hot water bag, increase blood circulation in muscles and soft tissues, which is quite effective in improving the healing process and reducing the transmission of pain nerve commands [12,21].…”

“…Moreover, Bai et al, in a review and meta-analysis study, pointed to the positive benefits of water exercise [7]. In another review article, Haile et al reported that physiotherapy methods also effectively reduce LBP [12].…”