| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
Study design: RCT
Setting: United Kingdom, healthcare
Exercise groups: 1
Comparison groups: 1 |
| Participants |
Number of participants: 38 (E1 = 20, C1 = 18)
Chronic LBP duration: Not specified (not specified)
Neurological/radicular symptoms: Some participants
Mean age (years): 45
Sex (female): 66% |
| Interventions |
Exercise Group 1 (E1): Circuit‐based, graded, aerobic exercise with some core stability exercises (Moffett 2000); type = mixed; duration = 6 weeks; dose = low; design = partially individualised; delivery = group; additional intervention = advice/education
Comparison Group 1 (C1): Other conservative treatment (education) |
| Outcomes |
Core outcomes reported: Pain (Numeric Rating Scale); function (Roland‐Morris Disability Questionnaire)
Follow‐up time periods available for syntheses: 6 weeks (short); 13 weeks (moderate) |
| Notes |
Conflicts of interest: One of the authors is a co‐inventor of the activPAL physical activity monitor and a director of PAL technologies Ltd.
Funding source: School of Health and Social Care of Glasgow Caledonian University
Other: None |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Participants were recruited from five different physiotherapy departments and randomised using a random number generator. |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Blinding allocation was concealed using sealed envelopes and allocation patients were not allocated until after the education had been received. |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Participants were not blinded. |
| Blinding of care provider (performance bias) |
High risk |
Not described |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Outcome assessing therapist was blinded. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Seven participants dropped out. |
| Participants analysed in group allocated (attrition bias) |
Low risk |
Participants remained in their group throughout. |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
| Groups similar at baseline (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Duration of pain varied and was used as a covariate. |
| Co‐interventions avoided or similar (performance bias) |
Low risk |
While participants were requested not to see co‐interventions beyond their general practitioner during the course of the study, one participant from the education only group reported that she received treatment. |
| Compliance acceptable in all groups (performance bias) |
High risk |
Three of the participants attended no exercise classes and only six attended all six classes. |
| Timing of outcome assessment similar in all groups (detection bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement was not available. |
