Pain intensity and Disability of chronic low back pain patients receiving physiotherapy in Cameroon: A call for patients’ awareness to focus on physiotherapy treatment

Abstract

Background Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the major causes of disability in the world especially in resource limited countries like Cameroon. To date, little or no studies in Central Africa have addressed the effects of conventional physiotherapy (CPT) treatment on CLBP as well as its combination with oral or topic traditional medicines (TM). This study aimed at evaluating the effects of CPT in pain and disability related to CLBP, and to find out if any additional effects of additional non-conventional TM with physiotherapy. Methods We conducted a cross sectional survey from October 2022 to April 2023 in some major physiotherapy units in Cameroon. Were included patients following physiotherapy treatment for CLBP. We used a structured questionnaire to collect general characteristics of participants; the level of pain was assessed with the VAS (Visual Analog Scale) and the impairment of physical function with the EIFEL scale (Echelle d’Incapacité Fonctionelle du Patient Lombalgique). The data collected were analyzed using SPSS. The paired Student test was used to compare the initial and final VAS and EIFEL scores. The Leverne test was used to compare treatment outcomes between patients who received CPT alone and those who received non-conventional TM. Statistical significance was calculated at P˂ 0.05. Results Were included in this study 158 patients with CLBP with a mean age of 46.3 [SD: 14.3]. Female were more represented (106/157, 67%). The patients underwent CPT for a mean duration of 8.9 months [SD: 15.8] at a weekly mean session frequency of 3.8, [SD:1]. Of the 158 participants, 35 (22.2%) underwent additional TM. Conventional physiotherapy significantly reduced pain (Initial VAS:7.4 [SD: 1.3]; Final VAS: 3.9 [SD: 1]; P = 0.000) and physical impairment of participants (Initial EIFEL: 15.7 [SD: 4.5]; Finale EIFEL: 6.8 [SD: 3.2]; P = 0.000). The study found no significative difference in pain (P = 0.317) and physical impairment (P = 0.302) in patients following exclusively CPT and those following physiotherapy additionally to non-conventional TM. Conclusion Physiotherapy treatment reduces pain and improve physical function of patients with chronic low back pain and additional non-conventional traditional treatment did not have improve further pain and disability in these patients.