Evidence map›Paper›PMID 11420271›Full record

SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2001

Multidisciplinary rehabilitation for chronic low back pain: systematic review.

J Guzmán, R Esmail, K Karjalainen, A Malmivaara, E Irvin, C Bombardier

Registry-linked trialOpen access · bronzeAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2001. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07178548 (Assessing Compliance With Low Back Pain Treatment Guidelines), which is not on this map. Cited by 214 papers, 17 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
214citing papers in PubMed, 17 pooled it
21.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07178548 completednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Assessing Compliance With Low Back Pain Treatment Guidelines: Attitudes of Physiotherapists and Internship Students

TypeobservationalSponsorMedipol UniversityRan2025 to 2025Enrolled106ConditionsLow Back Pain, Guideline Adherence, Physiotherapist, Physiotherapist StudentsArmsOnline Survey
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

214 citing papers in PubMed, 17 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 935 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. A systematic review on the effectiveness of physical and rehabilitation interventions for chronic non-specific low back pain.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2011
    Pooled it
  11. Low back pain (chronic).BMJ clinical evidence · 2010
    Pooled it
  12. Pooled it
  13. Guideline
  14. Low back pain (chronic).BMJ clinical evidence · 2008
    Pooled it
  15. Pooled it
  16. Methodological aspects of outcomes research.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2006
    Pooled it
  17. Pooled it
  18. Trial
  19. Trial
  20. Trial

154 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

J GuzmánInstitute for Work and Health, Toronto, Canada M4W 1E6.
R Esmail
K Karjalainen
A Malmivaara
E Irvin
C Bombardier
Institute for Work & Health · CAFinnish Institute of Occupational Health · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the effect of multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation on clinically relevant outcomes in patients with chronic low back pain.

designSystematic literature review of randomised controlled trials.

participantsA total of 1964 patients with disabling low back pain for more than three months.

main outcome measuresPain, function, employment, quality of life, and global assessments.

resultsTen trials reported on a total of 12 randomised comparisons of multidisciplinary treatment and a control condition. There was strong evidence that intensive multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation with functional restoration improves function when compared with inpatient or outpatient non-multidisciplinary treatments. There was moderate evidence that intensive multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation with functional restoration reduces pain when compared with outpatient non-multidisciplinary rehabilitation or usual care. There was contradictory evidence regarding vocational outcomes of intensive multidisciplinary biopsychosocial intervention. Some trials reported improvements in work readiness, but others showed no significant reduction in sickness leaves. Less intensive outpatient psychophysical treatments did not improve pain, function, or vocational outcomes when compared with non-multidisciplinary outpatient therapy or usual care. Few trials reported effects on quality of life or global assessments.

conclusionsThe reviewed trials provide evidence that intensive multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation with functional restoration reduces pain and improves function in patients with chronic low back pain. Less intensive interventions did not show improvements in clinically relevant outcomes.

Indexed as

Treatment OutcomeChronic DiseaseCombined Modality TherapyHumansLow Back PainQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID11420271
PMCPMC33389
OpenAlexW2035540128

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.