Short-term effects of exergaming on patients with chronic low back pain: A single-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

Exergaming is increasingly popular, but its impact on chronic low back pain (CLBP) remain unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of exergaming versus traditional exercise for managing CLBP using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework.

METHODS

This single-blind, randomized controlled trial included 70 participants with CLBP, who were assigned to either the exergaming or traditional exercise group. Both groups received 2 weeks of treatment with six sessions. Assessments included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), range of motion, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), balance (Biodex Stability System), Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), and physical performance tests.

RESULTS

After six sessions over 2 weeks, the exergaming group showed significant improvements over the exercise group in ODI (p < 0.001), chair-rising time (p = 0.001), stair ascent (p = 0.025) and descent times (p < 0.001), flexion (p = 0.005), extension (p = 0.001), balance (p = 0.012), and FABQ subscales (physical activity: p = 0.003; work: p < 0.001) at the 3-month follow-up. Group × time interaction effects favored exergaming for ODI (p = 0.012), chair-rising (p = 0.045), stair ascent (p = 0.010), and descent (p = 0.002) times. While these changes did not meet clinical significance, exergaming was not inferior to traditional exercise in improving spinal motion, physical performance, fear-avoidance beliefs, and disability.

CONCLUSION

Exergaming appears to be a viable supplementary therapy for patients with CLBP, offering benefits across all ICF domains. Future studies with longer intervention durations are needed to assess its long-term effects.