| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
Study design: RCT
Setting: Iran, healthcare
Exercise groups: 2
Comparison groups: 0 |
| Participants |
Number of participants: 30 (E1 = 15, E2 = 15)
Chronic LBP duration: Not specified (moderate)
Neurological/radicular symptoms: Some participants
Mean age (years): Not reported
Sex (female): Not reported |
| Interventions |
Exercise Group 1 (E1): Warm‐up (cycling, stretching, 15 minutes); training exercises including knee to chest, bridging, supine cycling, heel slides, abdominal crunches; type = mixed; duration = 8 weeks; dose = low; design = standardised; delivery = group; additional intervention = none
Exercise Group 2 (E2): Bracing and hollowing exercises in supine, bridging, kneeling, sitting and standing, progressing to on wobble board and Swiss ball; type = core strengthening; duration = 8 weeks; dose = low; design = standardised; delivery = group; additional intervention = none |
| Outcomes |
Core outcomes reported: Pain (Visual Analogue Scale); function (Oswestry Disability Index)
Follow‐up time periods available for syntheses: 8 weeks (short); 13 weeks (moderate) |
| Notes |
Conflicts of interest: None to declare
Funding source: Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Other: SDs imputed |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Participants were divided randomly between the control and experimental groups. |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Blinding of care provider (performance bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Not described |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Unclear |
| Participants analysed in group allocated (attrition bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
| Groups similar at baseline (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Co‐interventions avoided or similar (performance bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Compliance acceptable in all groups (performance bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Timing of outcome assessment similar in all groups (detection bias) |
Low risk |
Eight weeks (post‐treatment), three months |
