| Methods |
Randomised |
| Participants |
14 patients who underwent lumbar disc surgery, aged 45.2 ± 3.96 years and 46.2 ± 5.3 years |
| Interventions |
I: Medx lumbar extension programme and progressive resistance exercise, 12‐week programme three times/week, 70 minutes per session, postoperative conservative treatment period was 15.57 ± 2.94 days. C: no exercise rehabilitation programme, postoperative conservative treatment period was 15.43, SD 3.74 days. |
| Outcomes |
I: VAS scores: back pain preoperative 5.11 ± 1.10, postoperative 4.35 ± 0.94, handicap/functional status preoperative 5.27 ± 1.68, postoperative 2.28 ± 0.75. C: VAS scores: back pain preoperative 5.42 ± 1.61, postoperative 5.80 ± 1.89, handicap/functional status preoperative 6.55 ± 0.92, postoperative 6.27 ± 1.05 |
| Notes |
|
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Subjectsts and methods: randomly allocated, not described how |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
All outcomes ‐ patients? |
High risk |
Exercise versus no treatment |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
All outcomes ‐ care providers? |
High risk |
Exercise versus no treatment |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
All outcomes ‐ outcome assessors? |
High risk |
Patient reported outcomes |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes ‐ drop‐outs? |
Low risk |
No dropouts |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes ‐ ITT analysis? |
Unclear risk |
Unclear from text |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
No protocol, methods mentions VAS for pain and function, reported in results and in Table 2 |
| Similarity of baseline characteristics? |
Low risk |
Subjects and methods, Tables 1 + 2 |
| Co‐interventions avoided or similar? |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Compliance acceptable? |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Timing outcome assessments similar? |
Low risk |
Table 2: pretreatment and post‐treatment measures |
