Table 1 Overview of included studies and descriptive study data
Reference | Participants | Intervention | Comparator | Outcome | Group effect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beinert [71] | Total N | 34 | 5 weeks, 15×15 min., three balance exercises with increasing difficulty: single leg, tandem, and standing on a wobble board | No intervention; participants were instructed to maintain physical activity as usual | Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS) | ↗ |
CH, 2013 | Age: | 23 | Head relocation from neutral position | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | NP | Pre-rotated head relocation | ↗ | |||
Cl. confirmed: | No | |||||
Gender (f/m): | nA | |||||
Chung [73] | Total N | 24 | 8 weeks, 3 sessions/week (duration not specified), 10 Min. warm-up followed by four lumbar stabilisation exercises on a small gymnastics ball | 8 weeks, 3 sessions/week (duration not specified), 10 Min. warm-up followed by four lumbar stabilisation exercises on a mat | Pain intensity VAS | = |
KR, 2013 | Age: | 38 | Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) Weight bearing (postural sway) Multifidus cross section L2 and L3 Multifidus cross section L4 and L5 | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | LBP | = | ||||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | = | ||||
Gender (f/m): | 11/13 | ↗ | ||||
Costa [69] | Total N | 154 | 8 weeks, 12×30 min. motor control exercise to improve function of specific muscles of the low back and control of posture and movement | 8 weeks, 12×25 min. Shortwave Diathermy, Ultrasound (placebo) | Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS) | = |
AU, 2011 | Age: | 54 | Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Global Impression of Recovery (GPE) | ↗ | |||
Cl. confirmed: | No | Roland Morris Score (RMS) | ↗ | |||
Gender (f/m): | 28/51 | |||||
Frih [67] | Total N | 107 | 4 weeks, 28×30 min. home-based rehabilitation programme: postural control, stretching and strengthening exercises | 4 weeks, 12×90 min. standard rehabilitation programme: analgesic, electrotherapy, pain management, stretching, proprioceptive, and strengthening exercises | Pain intensity VAS | ↗ |
TN, 2004 | Age: | 36 | MacRae Schöber Index | = | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Finger-to-Floor (FTF) distance | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Thigh-leg (TL) angle | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 80/25 | Shirado Test | ↗ | |||
Sorensen Test | = | |||||
Quebec Functional Index | = | |||||
Gatti [63] | Total N | 179 | 5 weeks, 10×60min. treadmill (15 min.), flexibility (30 min.), and trunk balance (15 min.) exercises | 5 weeks, 10×60 min. treadmill (15 min.), flexibility (15 min.), and strengthening (15 min.) exercises | Pain Intensity VAS (0 to 100) | = |
IT, 2009 | Age: | 58 | Roland Morris Score (RMS) | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Quality of Life, physical (SF-12p) | ↗ | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Quality of Life, mental (SF-12m) | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 11/23 | |||||
Hudson [62] | Total N | 14 | 6 weeks, 6×60 min. multimodal treatments: coordinative, proprioceptive, strengthening, and educational components | 6 weeks, 6-8×20 min. usual care (any combination of exercise, education, mobilisations, manipulations, electrotherapy, or acupuncture) | Neck Disability Index (NDI) | = |
UK, 2010 | Age: | 43 | Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NRS) | = | ||
Pain area: | NP | |||||
Cl. confirmed: | No | |||||
Gender (f/m): | 8/4 | |||||
Humphreys [57] | Total N | 63 | 4 weeks, 56 treatments (twice a day, duration not specified) coordinative exercises (eye-head-neck coordination) | No intervention | Head Repositioning HRA | ↗ |
UK, 2002 | Age: | nA | Self-reported Pain Intensity (VAS) | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | NP | |||||
Cl. confirmed: | No | |||||
Gender (f/m): | nA | |||||
Jin [72] | Total N | 14 | 4 weeks, 20×40 Min. Six different quadruped exercises on a wobble board | 4 weeks, 20×40 Min. physical therapy (20 Min. hot press; 5 Min. ultrasound; 15 Min. transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) | Pain intensity VAS | ↗ |
KR, 2013 | Age: | 45 | Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Anticipatory postural adjustment | ↗ | |||
Cl. confirmed: | No | |||||
Gender (f/m): | 8/6 | |||||
Johannsen [64] | Total N | 40 | 12 weeks, 24×60min. warm up (10 min.) coordinative, proprioceptive, balance, and stability exercises (40 min.), stretching (10 min.) | 12 weeks, 24×60min. endurance (10 min.), dynamic strengthening exercises (40 min.), and stretching (10 min.) | Isokinetic back strength (KinCom II) | = |
DK, 1999 | Age: | 38 | Patient's general assessment | = | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Pain score (0-8) | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Mobility score (cm) | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 93/120 | |||||
Jull [58] | Total N | 64 | 6 weeks, 84×10 min. (twice per day) proprioceptive training (head relocation practice), coordinative exercises (eye/head coordination) | 6 weeks, 84×10 min. (twice per week) strengthening of deep cervical flexor muscles | Joint Position Error (JPE) | = |
AU, 2005 | Age: | 41 | Left JPE | ↙ | ||
Pain area: | NP | Right JPE | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Extension Neck Disability Index (NDI) | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 64/0 | Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) | = | |||
Marshall [70] | Total N | 54 | 4 weeks usual care, then 12 weeks, 12 proprioceptive and strengthening exercises using the therapy ball (Swiss ball) | 4 weeks usual care, then 12 weeks home based therapy regime based on commonly recommended low back strengthening exercises | Oswestry Disability Index | = |
NZ, 2008 | Age: | 35 | FR-Response | = | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Feed-forward activation assessment | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | No | |||||
Gender (f/m): | 27/27 | |||||
Morone [60] | Total N | 75 | 4 weeks, 12×45 min. perceptive rehabilitation with proprioceptive components | 3 weeks, 10 sessions (duration per session not reported), Back School based on re-education of breathing, stretching, postural, and strengthening exercises | Visual Analogue Scale | ↗ |
IT, 2011 | Age: | 55 | McGill Pain Rating Index | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Oswestry Disability Index | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Wadell Disability Index | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 54/21 | |||||
Morone [60] | Total N | 75 | 4 weeks, 12×45 min. perceptive rehabilitation with proprioceptive components | No intervention | Visual Analogue Scale | ↗ |
IT, 2011 [60] | Age: | 55 | McGill Pain Rating Index | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Oswestry Disability Index | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Wadell Disability Index | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 54/21 | |||||
Paolucci [61] | Total N | 45 59 | 4 weeks, 12×45 min. perceptive treatment with proprioceptive components | 3 weeks, 10 sessions (duration per session not reported), Back School based on re-education of breathing, stretching, postural, and strengthening exercises | McGill Pain Questionnaire | = |
IT, 2012 | Age: | LBP | Centre of Pressure (CoP) area | nA | ||
Pain area: | Yes | CoP sway length | nA | |||
Cl. confirmed: | nA | CoP sway velocity AP | nA | |||
Gender (f/m): | CoP sway velocity LL | nA | ||||
Revel [74] | Total N | 60 | 8 weeks, 16×45min. symptomatic analgesics, proprioceptive (head relocation practice), and coordinative (eye/head coordination) exercises, and coordinative exercises | Symptomatic analgesics | Head Repositioning Accuracy (HRA) | ↗ |
FR, 1994 | Age: | 46.8 | Self-reported pain VAS | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | NP | Active Range of Motion: Extension | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Active Range of Motion: Rotation | ↗ | |||
Gender (f/m): | 51/10 | NSAID intake | = | |||
Self-assessed functional improvement | ↗ | |||||
Sorensen [65] | Total N | 207 | 3 to 9 weeks, 1 to 3 × 30 to 60 min. educational program, stretching | Undefined duration. Symptom based physical training programme, motor control of posture and movement OR therapy ball and dynamic exercises for balance, endurance, and strength | Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS) | = |
DK, 2012 | Age: | 39.5 | Activity Limitation Scale Fear | = | ||
Pain area: | LBP | Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire Back | ↙ | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Beliefs Questionnaire | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 105/95 | |||||
Suni [59] | Total N | 106 | 48 weeks, 96 × 10 exercises for balance, coordination, strength, stretching, motor control, and educational | No intervention (control group) | VAS (past 7 days) | = |
FI, 2006 | Age: | 47.3 | ODI | = | ||
Pain area: | LBP | PDI | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | |||||
Gender (f/m): | 0/100 | |||||
Stankovic [68] | Total N | 160 | 4 weeks, 20×30 min. motor control, strengthening, relaxation, breathing, stretching, proprioceptive, and coordinative exercises | 4 weeks, 20×30 min. strengthening and stretching aerobic exercises | Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) | ↗ |
RS, 2011 | Age: | 49.5 | ODI subscale Pain | ↗ | ||
Pain area: | LBP | |||||
Cl. confirmed: | No | |||||
Gender (f/m): | 60/140 | |||||
Taimela [66] | Total N | 76 | 12 weeks, 12×45min. multimodal treatment: muscle endurance and coordination, relaxation training, educational, motor control, postural control | Neck lectures and activated home exercises (home exercises were introduced and explained in the first two weeks) | Cervical range of motion Cervical | = |
FI, 1999 | Age: | 42.3 | Pressure pain threshold | = | ||
Pain area: | NP | Pain intensity (100mm VAS) | = | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 36/14 | Physical impairment in daily activities | = | |||
Taimela [66] | Total N | 76 | 12 weeks, 12×45min. multimodal treatment: muscle endurance and coordination, relaxation training, educational, motor control, postural control | Neck lecture and recommendation of exercises | Cervical range of motion Cervical | = |
FI, 1999 | Age: | 42.3 | Pressure pain threshold | = | ||
Pain area: | NP | Pain intensity (100mm VAS) | ↗ | |||
Cl. confirmed: | Yes | Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire | = | |||
Gender (f/m): | 36/14 | Physical impairment in daily activities | = |