Adherence to Home Exercise Program in Patients with Low Back Pain

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the exercise adherence of the patients according to recommended home exercice program and to determine which exercises were performed more accurately. Materail and Method: 121 consecutive patients who applied to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of Hacettepe University Hospital due to low back pain and who were recommended home exercise program were included in the study. The flexion and extension exercises were given. On the 10th day following the introduction of the home program, the patients were invited for first control to assess the accuracy of the practice of the exercises. The accuracy of each exercise was analyzed by the physiotherapists (Likert type scoring system from 0 to 4). After 1 month, the patients were called for the second check of the correctness of the application of exercises. The same assessment was repeated. Findings: While the number of patients was 121 at the beginning, the number of patients in the first control decreased to 73, the number of patients in the second control decreased to 21 after 1 month. A statistically significant increase was found for only isometric strenghtening exercises in terms of the difference in accurate application of exercises between second and first assesstments (p <0.05). Conclusion: It is thought that it would be beneficial to carry out further studies to examine effects of combined interventions to ensure adherence to home exercise program.