Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34912624›Full record

ArticleCureus2021

Self-Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain Based on a Rapid and Objective Sacroiliac Asymmetry Test: A Pilot Study.

Helene Bertrand, K Dean Reeves, Rajneet Mattu, Remerlita Garcia, Mahir Mohammed, Ellen Wiebe, An-Lin Cheng

Registry-linked trialOpen access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03888235 (Frequency of Sacroiliac Malrotation in Low Back Pain and Correction With a Simple In-home Exercise), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 27% 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.

NCT03888235 nacompletednot on this map

Frequency of Sacroiliac Malrotation in Low Back Pain and Correction With a Simple In-home Exercise: A Randomized Study Comparing Those Treated Immediately to Those Waiting One Month for Treatment

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of British ColumbiaRan2019 to 2020Enrolled62ConditionsSacroiliac Strain, Low Back PainArmsImmediate corrective exercises, Immediate use of pelvic support belt, Delayed treatment
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Helene BertrandDepartment of Family Practice, University of British Columbia Medical School, North Vancouver, CAN.
K Dean ReevesRehabilitation Medicine, Independent Researcher, Kansas City, USA.
Rajneet MattuFaculty of Science, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, CAN.
Remerlita GarciaObstetrics and Gynaecology, Independent Researcher, Vancouver, CAN.
Mahir MohammedFamily Practice, Independent Researcher, Vancouver, CAN.
Ellen WiebeDepartment of Family Medicine, University of British Columbia Medical School, Vancouver, CAN.
An-Lin ChengBiomedical and Health Informatics, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, USA.
Oldham Council · GBUniversity of British Columbia · CAUniversity of Missouri–Kansas City · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow back pain (LBP) is common, costly, and disabling. This study assesses a novel and simple LBP evaluation method and its merit in guiding the direction of a self-treatment exercise.

methodsRandomized open-label intention is used to treat the study. Consecutive patients with LBP ≥ three months and pain ≥ 5/10 were evaluated in a Vancouver clinic with the sacroiliac forward flexion test (SIFFT) by comparing the height of posterior superior iliac spines using a level. Those with asymmetry ≥ 5 mm were offered participation. The assistant, who generated and encrypted the randomization, assigned participants: group 1 learned a two-minute, SIFFT-derived, sacroiliac-leveling exercise (SIFFT-E) as needed for LBP relief; group 2 used a pelvic stabilization belt as needed to prevent LBP, and group 3 continued the usual care. After one month, all participants used SIFFT-E and belt as needed for one month. The identifier number of this article in Clinicaltrials.gov is #NCT03888235. The trial is closed. Our primary outcome measure was the Oswestry disability index (ODI) (decrease) from baseline to one and two months. We also followed SIFFT improvement (decrease).

findingsOf 72 LBP patients, 62 (86%) had ≥ 5 mm asymmetry. From zero to one month, the 21 (one dropout) SIFFT-E participants outperformed the 20 usual care participants for ODI improvement (12.5 ± 14.8 vs. -3.4 ± 14.9 points; mean difference 15.9 [CI 6.7-25.0]; P = 0.002 with number needed to treat (NNT) of 3.0 for ODI improvement ≥ 11). Belt use results were intermediate. At two months, after all the 62 participants used the exercise and belt as needed, combined ODI improvements were clinically significant (12.0 ± 18.4 points), and SIFFT asymmetry was reduced by 8.6 ± 8.6 mm. Five (8%) exercise and 12 (19%) belt wearers experienced mild side effects.

interpretationSacroiliac asymmetry appears to be frequent. SIFFT may be clinically useful as an evaluation tool for prescribing a simple self-directed corrective exercise as seen by clinically significant improvements in function and asymmetry.

Indexed as

acute low back painchronic low back pain (clbp)chronic non-specific low-back painlow back pain physical examlower back pain (lbp)sacroiliacsacroiliac displacementsacroiliac joint dysfunctional painsacroiliac joint manipulationtreating low back pain

Identifiers

PMID34912624
PMCPMC8665897
OpenAlexW3214508810

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.