The effect of kinesiotherapy supported by visual biofeedback on a stabilometric platform on health-related quality of life among patients with non-specific low back pain. A randomized, open-label study with a 6-month follow-up

Introduction: Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) influences health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a significant number of people. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two rehabilitation programs, kinesiotherapy combined with visual biofeedback on a stabilometric platform and kinesiotherapy alone, on HRQoL during a 6-month follow-up. Material and methods: The study was performed using a randomized open-label design with a 6-month follow-up. Forty-nine patients with NSLBP were assigned to the study group (SG) and treated with kinesiotherapy supported by visual feedback on a stabilometric platform (TecnoBody ST 310 Plus), and 51 patients to the control group (CG) and treated with kinesiotherapy alone. HRQoL was evaluated using the SF-36v2 Health Survey Standard Polish Version 1.0 9/02 (SF-36). Results: Compared to those in the CG, SG patients achieved greater improvement in physical HRQoL domain scores. This effect was lower in patients with initially greater NSLBP intensity (numeric rating scale [NRS] ≥ 7), and with a higher number of NSLBP recurrences (≥ 3) during the follow-up. The recurrence of NSLBP influenced not only the physical but also the mental health domains of the SF-36 Survey. Conclusions: Compared to NSLBP patients who underwent kinesiotherapy alone, those who were treated with kinesiotherapy supported by visual feedback on a stabilometric platform achieved a greater improvement in HRQoL domain scores by the end of the 6-month follow-up. The level of HRQoL improvement was related to the initial severity of NSLBP and the number of NSLBP recurrences, which should be considered when assessing the effectiveness of NSLBP treatment