| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
Study design: RCT
Setting: Croatia, healthcare
Exercise groups: 2
Comparison groups: 0 |
| Participants |
Number of participants: 72 (E1 = 36, E2 = 36)
Chronic LBP duration: Not specified (not specified)
Neurological/radicular symptoms: No participants
Mean age (years): 46
Sex (female): 50% |
| Interventions |
Exercise Group 1 (E1): Water‐based exercise: warm‐up, range of motion, strengthening, and stretching exercises, water walking; type = mixed; duration = 3 weeks; dose = low; design = standardised; delivery = group; additional intervention = electrotherapy & manual therapy
Exercise Group 2 (E2): Land‐based exercise: warm‐up, strengthening and stretching exercises; type = mixed; duration = 3 weeks; dose = low; design = standardised; delivery = group; additional intervention = electrotherapy & manual therapy |
| Outcomes |
Core outcomes reported: Function (Pain Disability Index)
Follow‐up time periods available for syntheses: 3 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) |
Unclear risk |
Randomised into two groups; equally divided according to gender |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| 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 |
Low risk |
The Physical Disability Index is an observer‐administered, performance‐based instrument so outcome assessors could be blinded. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Assumed no dropouts |
| Participants analysed in group allocated (attrition bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
| Groups similar at baseline (selection bias) |
Low risk |
There were no statistically significant differences in baseline sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics between the two groups. |
| Co‐interventions avoided or similar (performance bias) |
Low risk |
No painkillers (paracetamol, tramadol, nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs) were allowed to be changed during the study. |
| Compliance acceptable in all groups (performance bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not described |
| Timing of outcome assessment similar in all groups (detection bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
