Effectiveness of Diaphragm Treatment in Reducing Low Back Pain

Benefits of Diaphragm Treatment in Reducing Low Back Pain in Patients With Mechanical Lumbar Pain

Objective: Determine the benefits of including a Stretching technique of the anterior part of the diaphragm in the supine position in the conventional physiotherapy treatment protocol applied to insurance company patients with mechanical low back pain.

design: The aim is to carry out an experimental, analytical, prospective, longitudinal, randomized, single-blind study with a blinded evaluator, with an experimental group (EG) to which a manual technique on the diaphragm will be included in the conventional physiotherapy treatment (manual therapy and electrotherapy). and a control group (CG) to which only conventional physiotherapy treatment is administered.

Subject: Patient diagnosed with subacute or chronic mechanical low back pain by a specialist doctor and who has attended in "Fisioclinic" physiotherapy clinic, Older than 18 years-old, Indistinct sex, Diaphragm dysfunction.

Methods: it is proposed to carry out a study in which two groups of subjects with mechanical low back pain will be compared. One group will receive conventional physiotherapy, with electrotherapy and massage therapy, while the other group will receive the same conventional physiotherapy plus a specific technique aimed at the diaphragm muscle. Ten treatment sessions will be carried out daily from Monday to Friday. Different variables will be evaluated using scientifically validated methods, such as manual diagnostic tests for lumbar mobility, algometry to measure muscle pain, cirtometry to evaluate chest mobility, validated questionnaires for quality of life and spirometry to measure respiratory parameters. These variables will be measured before and after each treatment session and later a week, a month and four months after the last intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient diagnosed with subacute or chronic mechanical low back pain by a specialist doctor and who has attended in "Fisioclinic" physiotherapy clinic.

  • Older than 18 years-old.
  • Indistinct sex.
  • Diaphragm dysfunction.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any surgical intervention on the upper and lower limbs, head, spine, thorax or abdomen at any time in their lives, with a visible anatomy cause on imaging tests.
• Any pathology of non-mechanical origin, such as inflammatory, infectious, tumorous, neurological, traumatic processes and bone diseases in the lumbar spine.
• Having received analgesic or anti-inflammatory medical treatment for pain in a period of less than two weeks.
• Pregnant women, including the breastfeeding period.
• Patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
• Basic systemic disease of rheumatic origin (for example, arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout and psoriasis).
• Implanted electronic devices.
• Drug or alcohol abuse, analgesic or sedative therapy and use of medications that affect the central nervous system (for example, antidepressants, anxiolytics and anticonvulsants).
• Patients who have previous experience with manual treatment of the diaphragm.
• Patients with high work activity.
• Outside the age range for the study.
• Refusal to participate in the study.
• Refusal to complete and sign the informed consent.