Inclusion criteria: |
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•military employees of the RNLA between the age of 18 and 54 years •at least 4 weeks of continuous or recurrent (at least 3 times a week) episodes of LBP pain localized •between posterior iliac crests and angulus inferior scapulae •availability to visit the local military health center 2 times a week during 10 consecutive weeks, with •no more than two sessions of absence due to job-related activities (e.g. military exercise, course, leave) •willingness to abandon other treatment interventions for the lower back during the intervention period •signed informed consent |
Exclusion criteria |
•spinal surgery in the last 2 years •specific treatment for LBP in the last 4 weeks (e.g. physiotherapy, manual therapy) •severe LBP which hinders in performing maximal isometric strength efforts •specific LBP, defined as herniated disc, ankylosing spondylitis, spondylolisthesis or other relevant •neurological diseases |