Effectiveness of Multidisciplinary Group-Based Intervention versus Individual Physiotherapy for Improving Chronic Low Back Pain in Nursing Staff: A Clinical Trial with 3- and 6-Month Follow-Up Visits from Tehran, Iran

Leila Ghadyani; Sedigheh Sadat Tavafian; Anoshirvan Kazemnejad; Joan Wagner

doi:10.4184/asj.2017.11.3.396

Effectiveness of Multidisciplinary Group-Based Intervention versus Individual Physiotherapy for Improving Chronic Low Back Pain in Nursing Staff: A Clinical Trial with 3- and 6-Month Follow-Up Visits from Tehran, Iran

Asian Spine J. 2017 Jun;11(3):396-404. doi: 10.4184/asj.2017.11.3.396. Epub 2017 Jun 15.

Authors

Leila Ghadyani¹, Sedigheh Sadat Tavafian¹, Anoshirvan Kazemnejad², Joan Wagner³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Education, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Statistics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
³ Faculty of Nursing, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada.

Abstract

Study design: Clinical trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary group-based intervention on improving pain and disability among Iranian nurses with chronic low back pain in Tehran, Iran.

Overview of literature: Although low back pain (LBP) is one of the most important health problems, the challenge remains on how to find an effective intervention to reduce pain and related disabilities.

Methods: Overall, 136 eligible nurses with chronic mechanical LBP were classified into two groups. The intervention group (n=66 participants) participated in a physiotherapy educational program (for 120 minutes) plus a health educational program based on predictive constructs of the social cognitive theory (for 120 minutes). These interventions were delivered by a physiotherapist and a health education specialist. The control group (n=70 participants) participated in a physiotherapy educational program (for 120 minutes). Disability rate, pain severity, and back pain prevention behavior were measured initially and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits using the visual analogue scale, Roland-Morris Disability, and Nursing Low Back Pain Preventive Behaviors Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS ver. 16.

Results: There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in the main outcome measures immediately after the educational program and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits. Preventive behaviors of participants in the intervention group were improved at 3- and 6- month follow-up visits (p<0.001). The mean scores of predictive constructs regarding LBP preventive behaviors in the intervention group were improved after 3 and 6 months (p<0.001). Finally, in the intervention group, pain severity and disability were decreased significantly.

Conclusions: This study showed that a multidisciplinary educational program intervention can be an effective approach for reducing LBP and related disabilities among nurses.

Keywords: Chronic low back pain; Multidisciplinary; Nursing staff; Physiotherapy; Social cognitive theory.