Sleep disturbance is a prevalent symptom in people with chronic low back pain (CLBP >12 weeks), but there is currently no knowledge of the effectiveness of physiotherapy for this problem. This study evaluated the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) exploring the effects of physiotherapy on sleep disturbance in CLBP [Current controlled trial ISRCTN 54009836]. A sample of 60 consenting patients with CLBP [23 M, 37 F; mean (SD) age = 44.93 (13.41) years] were recruited in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin and randomly allocated to one of three groups [supervised exercise class (SEC), walking programme (WP) and usual physiotherapy (UP)] in a concealed manner. The main outcomes were sleep quality, functional disability, pain, and quality of life at baseline, 3 and 6 months.Background and purpose
Methods
literature review, 4 focus groups (n=18 CLBP patients), Physiotherapist Interviews (n=4), and then pilot-tested in a consenting sample of 10 CLBP patients [n=5 male, 5 female; mean (SD)= 50.5 (12.6) years], who completed the 10-metre Shuttle Walk Test, Oswestry Disability Index, NRS, Euro-Qol, Fear Avoidance, Back Beliefs, International Physical Activity and Self-Efficacy Questionnaires, at baseline and 8-week follow-up, and wore the activPAL™ accelerometer for 7 days pre and post intervention.
