Trial reportBMJ open2018
Does early intervention improve outcomes in the physiotherapy management of lumbar radicular syndrome? Results of the POLAR pilot randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02618278 (Physiotherapy Management of Lumbar Radicular Syndrome; Does Early Intervention Improve Outcomes?), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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.
Physiotherapy Management of Lumbar Radicular Syndrome; Does Early Intervention Improve Outcomes?
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate the feasibility of undertaking a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT).
settingThis was a pilot, pragmatic superiority RCT with a qualitative element, recruiting from 14 general practitioner (GP) practices in England.
participantsPatients over 18 years of age presenting to their GP with unilateral lumbar radicular syndrome (LRS), defined as radicular pain and/or neurological symptoms originating from lumbar nerve roots, were eligible to participate in the study, those who did not have a clear understanding of the English language or had comorbidities preventing rehabilitation were ineligible.
interventionsParticipants were randomised into early intervention physiotherapy or usual care with the former receiving their treatment within 2 weeks after randomisation and the latter 6 weeks postrandomisation. Both groups received a patient-centred, goal-orientated physiotherapy programme specific to their needs. Participants received up to six treatment sessions over an 8-week period. OUTCOME MEASURES: Process outcomes to determine the feasibility of the study and an exploratory analysis of patient-reported outcomes, including self-rated disability, pain and general health, these were collected at baseline, 6, 12 and 26 weeks postrandomisation.
results80 participants were recruited in 10 GP practices over 34 weeks and randomised to (early intervention physiotherapy n=42, usual care n=38). Follow-up rates at 26 weeks were 32 (84%) in the usual care and 36 (86%) in the early intervention physiotherapy group. The mean area under the curve (larger values indicating more disability) for the Oswestry Disability Index over the 26 weeks was 16.6 (SD 11.4) in the usual care group and 16.0 (SD 14.0) in the intervention group. A difference of -0.6 (95% CI -0.68 to 5.6) in favour of the intervention group.
conclusionsThe results of the study suggest a full RCT is feasible and will provide evidence as to the optimal timing of physiotherapy for patients with LRS. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02618278, ISRCTN25018352.
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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.