| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
Study design: RCT
Setting: USA, mixed
Exercise groups: 2
Comparison groups: 2 |
| Participants |
Number of participants: 96 (E1 = 24, E2 = 24, C1 = 23, C2 = 25)
Chronic LBP duration: 670 weeks (long)
Neurological/radicular symptoms: No participants
Mean age (years): 44
Sex (female): 48% |
| Interventions |
Exercise Group 1 (E1): Progressive aerobic fitness (fast walking to slow jogging), warm‐up, cool‐down stretching, with spousal support; type = aerobic & stretching; duration = 8 weeks; dose = low; design = partially individualised; delivery = group; additional intervention = none
Exercise Group 2 (E2): Progressive aerobic fitness (fast walking to slow jogging), warm‐up, cool‐down stretching; type = aerobic & stretching; duration = 8 weeks; dose = low; design = partially individualised; delivery = group; additional intervention = psychological therapy
Comparison Group 1 (C1): Usual care/no treatment (control group: continued with normal activity and treatment)
Comparison Group 2 (C2): Other conservative treatment (psychological therapy) |
| Outcomes |
Core outcomes reported: Pain (McGill Pain Score); function (Sickness Impact Profile)
Follow‐up time periods available for syntheses: 8 weeks (short); 26 weeks (moderate); 52 weeks (long) |
| Notes |
Conflicts of interest: Not reported
Funding source: National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (Grants 2 RO1 NS19619 and PO1 NS 16329)
Other: None |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Blinding of care provider (performance bias) |
High risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Participants analysed in group allocated (attrition bias) |
High risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Groups similar at baseline (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Co‐interventions avoided or similar (performance bias) |
High risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Compliance acceptable in all groups (performance bias) |
High risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
| Timing of outcome assessment similar in all groups (detection bias) |
Low risk |
Support for judgement is not available |
