Comparative prospective randomized study of clinical effects of maintained versus non-maintained non-surgical spinal decompression therapy in treatment of chronic lumber disc herniation

Introduction: LBP (Low Back Pain) is a common musculoskeletal symptom that may be caused by a variety of diseases and disorders that affect the lumber spine as chronic lumber disc herniation (CLDH). Aim: To detect the differences between clinical effects of maintained Vis non-maintained non-surgical spinal decompression therapy (NSSDT) in patients with CLDH. Subjects and Methods: 96 patients with CLDH were randomized into two matched groups. Both groups received 18 NSSDT sessions over a 5-week period (phase 1) followed by six months (phase 2) where only the maintained NSSDT group received one NSSDT session every two weeks Results: By the end of the phase 2 a significantly higher difference in the disc height in the maintained NSSDT group (95% CI, 0.6; 2.48, p=0.002) while the disc herniation index is significantly lower when compared to the non-maintained NSSDT group (95% CI, 106.8; 30.8, p<0.001). Also, the Oswestry disability score was decreased significantly more in the maintained NSSDT group. Conclusions: Patients with chronic LBP caused by CLDH are benefited from treatment with maintained NSSDT to sustain the improved post-treatment pain, disability scores and the gained spinal mobility.