ReviewJournal of pain research2021
Does Motor Control Exercise Restore Normal Morphology of Lumbar Multifidus Muscle in People with Low Back Pain? - A Systematic Review.
Review in Journal of pain research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Lumbar stabilization exercise with and without real-time ultrasound imaging biofeedback in chronic low back pain patients: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Aquatic exercise versus standard care on paraspinal muscle morphology and function in chronic low back pain patients: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Ultrasound estimated connective tissue proportion is lower after 6 months of restorative neurostimulation therapy: an exploratory analysis.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 · 2026Article
- AI-Supported Functional Pain Phenotyping in Low Back Pain Using Sensor-Based Gait and Neuromuscular Biomarkers.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The effect of a multimodal exercise program on paraspinal muscle morphology and clinical outcomes in chronic low back pain.Isokinetics and exercise science · 2026Article
- Article
- Evaluation of Motor Control Through Functional Movement Patterns of the Lumbar Spine Among Elite Special Forces Operators: A Pilot Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Intermuscular adipose tissue and lean muscle mass assessed with MRI in people with chronic back pain in Germany: a retrospective observational study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Article
- Article
- Multifidus Fat Infiltration in Patients with Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome Type II Treated with Spinal Cord Stimulation: A Preliminary Report.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Multifidus fat infiltration negatively influences the postoperative outcomes in lumbar disc herniation following transforaminal approach percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
- A Critical Review of Trunk and Hip Exercise Prescription: Applying Evidence for a Modern Approach.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2025Article
- Targeted multifidus muscle activation reduces fibrosis of multifidus muscle following intervertebral disc injury.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 · 2024Article
- Review
- The effects of a 12-week combined motor control exercise and isolated lumbar extension intervention on lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness in individuals with chronic low back pain.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Multifidus dysfunction and restorative neurostimulation: a scoping review.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2023Article
- The Effects of Combined Motor Control and Isolated Extensor Strengthening versus General Exercise on Paraspinal Muscle Morphology, Composition, and Function in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Theoretical Schemas to Guide Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Chronic Low Back Pain Clinical Research.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2023Review
- Challenges, Concerns, and Experiences of Community-Dwelling Older Women with Chronic Low Back Pain-A Qualitative Study in Hong Kong, China.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- 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
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Aberrant morphological changes in lumbar multifidus muscle (LMM) are prevalent among patients with low back pain (LBP). Motor control exercise (MCE) aims to improve the activation and coordination of deep trunk muscles (eg, LMM), which may restore normal LMM morphology and reduce LBP. However, its effects on LMM morphology have not been summarized. This review aimed to summarize evidence regarding the (1) effectiveness of MCE in altering LMM morphometry and decreasing LBP; and (2) relations between post-MCE changes in LMM morphometry and LBP/LBP-related disability. Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, EMBASE and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to 30 September 2020 to identify relevant randomized controlled trials. Two reviewers independently screened articles, extracted data, and evaluated risk of bias and quality of evidence. Four hundred and fifty-one participants across 9 trials were included in the review. Very low-quality evidence supported that 36 sessions of MCE were better than general physiotherapy in causing minimal detectable increases in LMM cross-sectional areas of patients with chronic LBP. Very low- to low-quality evidence suggested that MCE was similar to other interventions in increasing resting LMM thickness in patients with chronic LBP. Low-quality evidence substantiated that MCE was significantly better than McKenzie exercise or analgesics in increasing contracted LMM thickness in patients with chronic LBP. Low-quality evidence corroborated that MCE was not significantly better than other exercises in treating people with acute/chronic LBP. Low-quality evidence suggested no relation between post-MCE changes in LMM morphometry and LBP/LBP-related disability. Collectively, while MCE may increase LMM dimensions in patients with chronic LBP, such changes may be unrelated to clinical outcomes. This raises the question regarding the role of LMM in LBP development/progression.
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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.