| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
Study design: RCT
Setting: Greece, healthcare
Exercise groups: 1
Comparison groups: 1 |
| Participants |
Number of participants: 20 (E1 = 10, C1 = 10)
Chronic LBP duration: Not specified (not specified)
Neurological/radicular symptoms: Not specified
Mean age (years): 42
Sex (female): 45% |
| Interventions |
Exercise Group 1 (E1): Fifteen‐minute warm‐up (callisthenic exercises of arms and legs), leg stretching exercises, running on treadmill; type = aerobic & stretching; duration = 12 weeks; dose = high; design = standardised; delivery = not specified; additional intervention = none
Comparison Group 1 (C1): Other conservative treatment (electrotherapy) |
| Outcomes |
Core outcomes reported: Pain (McGill Pain Score); function (Roland‐Morris Disability Questionnaire)
Follow‐up time periods available for syntheses: 12 weeks (short) |
| Notes |
Conflicts of interest: Not reported
Funding source: Not reported
Other: None |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Eligible subjects were recruited for the study and were randomly assigned to an exercise group or to a control group by block randomisation. |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Low risk |
As eligible subjects were enrolled in the trial, they were assigned to the group that contained their number of recruitment. |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Assumed not possible |
| Blinding of care provider (performance bias) |
High risk |
Assumed not possible |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
After the end of each subject's programme, they completed the questionnaires under the same circumstances. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
No dropouts |
| Participants analysed in group allocated (attrition bias) |
Low risk |
No dropouts |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
| Groups similar at baseline (selection bias) |
Low risk |
No significant differences between groups |
| Co‐interventions avoided or similar (performance bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Compliance acceptable in all groups (performance bias) |
Low risk |
Adherence to the exercise programme was 98% and adherence in control group 96%. |
| Timing of outcome assessment similar in all groups (detection bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
