EFFECTIVENESS OF PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Chronic back pain is a frequently occurring musculoskeletal disorder, characterized by persistent pain, disability, diminished physical function and poor quality of life. It is managed extensively by physiotherapy, with varying effects of different interventions. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions in adults with chronic low back pain. The search of PubMed and Google Scholar was performed in a systematic manner for English language, open access studies from the period 2016-2025. Randomized controlled trials that reported pain or disability outcomes, physical function, mobility or quality of life after physiotherapy-related interventions were included. Studies were selected according to PRISMA principles, and 10 studies were used for the final qualitative synthesis. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 was used to evaluate methodological quality. The studies included were those related to conventional physiotherapy, graded activity, stabilization exercises, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, exercise and relaxation therapy, mobile-health interventions, Wuqinxi exercise, supervised biopsychosocial exercise, e-health rehabilitation, myofascial vacuum therapy, and combined exercise methods. Overall, structured exercise-based physiotherapy was correlated with improvements in pain, disability, function, mobility and quality of life. Passive adjunctive modalities had less consistent effects, and multimodal and individualized interventions often yielded additional benefits. Physiotherapy seems to be effective for chronic low back pain, focusing on structured, progressive and personalized exercise activities and utilising behavioural, manual and/or technology-based methods as appropriate.