The Effect of Combined Therapeutic Protocol (Therapeutic Exercises and Massage) on the Pain and Physical Performance in Men with Chronic Low Back Pain due to Lumbar Disc Herniation

Background: Chronic low back pain due to disc herniation is one of the common diseases in the community. In addition to the pain caused by this problem, which is a major complication, decreased and defective physical performance in daily living are other major concerns. Aim: To investigate the effect of combined therapeutic protocol (therapeutic exercises and massage) on the pain and physical performance in the patients with chronic low back pain due to the lumbar disc herniation. Method: We conducted a quasi experimental study in two experimental and control groups, each composed of 15 male patients with chronic low back pain. Experimental group were undergone the combined protocol for eight weeks. Control group received no therapeutic protocol during the study period. Subjects’ physical performance was assessed through measuring the duration of five tests which have been modeled based on patients’ daily activities. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to measure pain score. Wilcoxon and t student tests were used for data analysis. Results: The mean score of age, weight, height and Body Mass Index of the subjects were 41.61±4.99 years, 78.55±11.3 kg, 175.81±5.98 cm and 25.36±2.97 kg/m2, respectively. The experimental group showed a significant difference in terms of physical performance (31/41 ± 3/14, p=0/002) and pain score (2/85 ± 1/83, p=0/003). Conclusion: Based on the results, combined therapeutic protocol can be used to improve physical performance and to reduce pain in patients suffering from chronic low back pain due to disc herniation.