The effects of electrical whole body muscle stimulation (WB-EMS) in patients with chronic unspecific back pain: A controlled clinical intervention study

The preferred intervention for treating patients with chronic nonspecific back pain, is active resistance training. Whole body Electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) is becoming increasingly popular as efficient training method. Therefore, applying this kind of training seems logical in patients with chronic unspecific back pain. In this ongoing prospective clinical trial, two different therapeutic approaches are compared on patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain, in terms of their effectiveness. One group received a “classic” treatment of physiotherapy. The second group received a WB-EMS Training once a week for 20 min. A control group was formed from subjects with a “healthy back” In all groups Biomechanical tests and established Questionnaires are used: In the intervention group measurements are carried out at T0: before beginning; T1: after 6 weeks; T2: after 12 weeks; T3: after 24 weeks. In the active control T0 was carried out before beginning, T1: 4 weeks after beginning. 90 patients have been enrolled for Intervention, 32 in the active 25 in passive control group. The pain sensation averages on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS; 1–10) improved significantly (p <0.05). by 1.198, The Ostwestry Disability Index (ODI) improved significantly, resulting in a significant 3.37% reduction. The NASS improvement 0.51 points. The pain value of the SF 36 questionnaire improved by 8.88. By training with WB-EMS, all used back and pain parameters could be improved. In the further course of the study, a comparison with the traditional physiotherapy program and healthy subjects will further show the efficiency.