SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2022
Effect of aquatic physical therapy on chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- The dose-response relationship of aquatic exercise for musculoskeletal pain relief: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- In water or on land? A network meta-analysis of aquatic and land-based exercise interventions for pain and disability in chronic lower back pain.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Caution is necessary in interpreting musculoskeletal physiotherapy intervention outcomes: a methodological review of physiotherapy neuromusculoskeletal reviews.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2025Pooled it
- Evaluating the effectiveness of six exercise interventions for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Aquatic therapy compared to standard care for chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.Pain management · 2026Trial
- Effects of Therapeutic Aquatic Exercise Versus Physical Therapy Modalities on Pain and Disability in People With Chronic Low Back Pain: Potential Mediating Roles of Kinesiophobia, Anxiety, and Depression.Pain research & management · 2026Trial
- Multidisciplinary expert consensus on clinical diagnosis and therapies for low back pain.Bone research · 2026Article
- The Role of Hydrotherapy in Enhancing Recovery After Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Study on the effect of aquatic exercise combined with hot spring bathing for patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Effects of Aquatic Exercise on Sleep Quality in Patients with Chronic Diseases: A Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Dual Impact of Swimming on Intervertebral Disc Health: Biomechanical, Clinical, and Translational Perspectives.Cureus · 2025Review
- Mobile Health and Gamification of Chronic Pain Management: A Narrative Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Review
- Article
- Physical activity and factors associated with the costs of low back pain among adults after 18 months of follow-up: a cohort study.Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina · 2025Article
- The effect of aquatherapy on pain intensity and performance in patients with osteoarthritis.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2024Article
- The Impact of Hot Spring Hydrotherapy on Pain Perception and Dysfunction Severity in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disease. With the increasing number of patients, it has become a huge economic and social burden. It is urgent to relieve the burden of patients. There are many common rehabilitation methods, and aquatic physical therapy is one of them. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize the existing literature and analyze the impact of aquatic physical therapy on pain intensity, quality of life and disability of patients with chronic low back pain.
methodsThrough 8 databases, we searched randomized controlled trials on the effect of aquatic physical therapy on patients with chronic low back pain. These trials published results on pain intensity, quality of life, and disability. This review is guided by Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews of interventions version 5.1.0. The level of evidence was assessed through GRADE.
resultsA total of 13 articles involving 597 patients were included. The results showed that compared with the control group, aquatic physical therapy alleviated the pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale: SMD = -0.68, 95%CI:-0.91 to -0.46, Z = 5.92, P < 0.00001) and improved quality of life (physical components of 36-Item Short Form Health Survey or Short-Form 12: SMD = 0.63, 95%CI:0.36 to 0.90, Ζ = 4.57, P < 0.00001; mental components of 36-Item Short Form Health Survey or Short-Form 12: SMD = 0.59, 95%CI:0.10 to 1.08, Ζ = 2.35, P = 0.02), and reduced disability (Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire: SMD = -0.42, 95%CI:-0.66 to -0.17, Ζ = 3.34, P = 0.0008; Oswestry Disability Index or Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire: SMD = -0.54, 95%CI:-1.07 to -0.01, Ζ = 1.99, P = 0.05). However, aquatic physical therapy did not improve patients' pain at rest (Visual Analogue Scale at rest: SMD = -0.60, 95%CI:-1.42 to 0.23, Ζ = 1.41, P = 0.16). We found very low or low evidence of effects of aquatic physical therapy on pain intensity, quality of life, and disability in patients with chronic low back pain compared with no aquatic physical therapy.
conclusionsOur systematic review showed that aquatic physical therapy could benefit patients with chronic low back pain. However, because the articles included in this systematic review have high bias risk or are unclear, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to verify.
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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.