Work-Related Low Back Pain Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial from Tehran, Iran, Comparing Multidisciplinary Educational Program versus Physiotherapy Education

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical trial. PURPOSE: To compare the multidisciplinary educational program versus physiotherapy education among Iranian nurses. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Low back pain (LBP) can accompany significant occupational injuries in the nursing profession. There is no agreement on the most effective educational practice. METHODS: This study was conducted from August 17, 2014 to September 22, 2014 in Tehran, Iran. Eligible nurses with chronic mechanical LBP (n=136) were classified into an intervention group (n=66) or the control group (n=70). The intervention group received physiotherapy education for 120-minutes followed by a 120-minute health education session based on predictive constructs of social cognitive theory (SCT). The control group received the 120-minute physiotherapy education. Disability rate, pain severity and back pain prevention behavior were measured at initially and 3 months after intervention using visual analogue scale, Roland-Morris disability questionnaire and nursing low back pain preventive behaviors questionnaire. RESULTS: The two groups were the same in terms of all studied variables at the initiation of the study. At the 3-month follow up, predictive constructs of LBP preventive behaviors of participants in the intervention were improved (p<0.001). Significant decreases were evident at 3 months in pain severity (p=0.03) and disability (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The designed multidisciplinary educational intervention could decrease chronic mechanical LBP in nurses.