Effectiveness of muscle energy technique among non- Specific low back pain patients attended at CRP.

Abstract

Background: Low back pain is the pain in the lumbosacral area of the vertebral column encircling the distance from the 1st lumbar vertebra to the 1st sacral vertebra. From this domain lordotic curvature is formed. Approximately 50% of the general population suffers from back pain in a year and up to 80% of individuals account LBP over the course of their lifetimes. Low back pain is a common cause of pain and disability among the sufferers. Muscle energy technique (MET) is a form of manual therapy frequently used to correct lumbar pain, reduce disability, here in the patient voluntarily contracts specific muscles against the resistance of the clinician. Studies on MET regarding magnitude and duration of effectiveness are limited. Objectives: To identify the therapeutic effectiveness of Muscle Energy Technique for the treatment of Non-specific Low Back Pain. Methodology: Quasi experimental study design was used in this study. 54 patients with LBP were assigned into two groups from outdoor musculo-skeletal unit, CRP. Among them 27 patients were assigned into control group received MET with conventional care and another 27 into control group received only conventional care. Total treatment sessions were ten (10). MET of the hamstrings and ilio-psoas consisted of four 5-second hold/relax periods, while the control group received a conventional treatment. Measurement tools: Numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) was used to measure pain and ODI to measure lower back disability. Analysis of data: Paired t test was done using SPSS version 20. Results: Subjects receiving MET demonstrated greater improvement in NPRS and ODI. Thereby suggesting that MET may is useful for low back pain patients to reduce pain and disability. Key words: Non-specific low back pain, Muscle energy technique, conventional therapy.