A Comparative Analysis between Short Wave Diathermy and Infrared Radiation’s Effects on the Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain \r\nDue to Lumbar Spondylosis\r\n

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Low back pain is a symptom and not a disease.The low back pain is considered to incorporate dorsal painfound any place between the 12 thoracic vertebra and lowerbuttock up to gluteal folds or anus. Lumbar spondylosis is atypical reason for chronic low back pain and chronic disability.Objective: The main purpose of this research is to give acomparative analysis between short wave diathermy andinfrared radiation for treating lower back pain caused byspondylosis.Method: This was an observational study. A randomizedclinical trial study was conducted on Department of PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitation, BSMMU, Shahbagh, Dhaka on153 patients who came to hospital with lower back pain andsuffered from spondylosis. The study duration was from 1stMarch 2010 to 15 September, 2010.Results: Out of 153 patients, irrespective of sex, it was foundthat most of the patients (50.98%) belong to 40-49 years agegroup followed by 50-59 years (27.45%), 30-39 years(11.11%) and 60-70 years (10.46%) age group. in 72.2%patients prolonged sitting exacerbate the lower back pain.Prolonged standing was also found as another aggravatingfactor of pain among the study patients (17.6%). Prolongedwalking (5.9%) and leaning forward (3.3%) came next in theorder of aggravating factors for lower back pain. The study alsoshowed the performance difference between SWD and IRR onthe patients.Conclusion: Considering the information gathered from thisstudy, it can be concluded that all the tested therapies seemedto improve the patients with chronic low back pain. But IRR andSWD showed no significant difference in improvement for thepatients with chronic LBP due to lumbar spondylosis.