Effects of Retro Walking on Pain, Physical Function and Flexibility in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Objective Chronic Non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) is described as pain whose pathoanatomical cause cannot be determined. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of retro-walking on pain, flexibility, and physical functions in patients with CNSLBP. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Physical Therapy department of District Head Quarter hospital Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan from September 2021 to march 2022. The trial was conducted on 36 patients, randomly divided into two groups with 18 patients each. Conventional treatment and retro-walking were given to experimental group and conventional alone to control group for one month with 3 sessions per week. Outcome variables were pain, flexibility of hamstrings and lumbar region, and physical function assessed by Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), sit and reach test (SRT), modified schober test (MST), and Modified Oswestry Disability Index (MODI) respectively. Data were assessed at pre-treatment, after 6th and 12th sessions. Results: This study showed a significant difference in Numeric Pain Rating Scale, sit-and-reach test, and Modified Oswestry Disability Index with a p-value <0.05 in both groups after intervention. However, in the group comparison, these variables showed better results in retro-walking group than in the other, with a p-value<0.001 after both the 6th and 12th sessions. Discussion: Current study suggested that when added up to conventional treatment, retro-walking was more beneficial in reduction of pain and enhancement of  flexibility and physical function in patients having CNSLBP as compared to conventional treatment alone. Therefore, it should be added to treatment protocol for chronic non-specific pain in lower back.