Hiroyuki Oka, Takuo Nomura, Fuminari Asada, Kenichiro Takano, Yasuhiko Nitta, Yasutomo Uchima, Tomonori Sato, Masafumi Kawase, Sayoko Sawada, Kazushi Sakamoto, Makoto Yasue, Satoshi Arima, Junji Katsuhira, Kayo Kawamata, Tomoko Fujii, Sakae Tanaka, Hiroaki Konishi, Hiroshi Okazaki, Kota Miyoshi, and Junko Watanabe
Objectives: To evaluate the 'One Stretch' exercise's effect on improvements in low back pain (LBP), psychological factors, and fear avoidance in a large number of nurses. Methods: Between July 2015 and June 2016, we performed a prospective, randomized, parallel-group, multi-center study with central evaluations. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1 ratio) to either the control group (Group A) or an intervention group (Group B: 30-min seminar about the 'One Stretch' exercise, Group C: Bþphysical and psychological approaches to LBP treatment). The primary outcome was subjective improvement from baseline to 6 months (improved/unchanged/worsened) and overall exercise habits (good/poor). Results: There were 4767 participants: 1799, 1430, and 1548 in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. We collected data on 3439 participants (949, 706, and 751 in Groups A, B, and C, respectively) at the 6-month follow-up. The improvement rates in Groups A, B, and C were 13.3%, 23.5%, and 22.6%, respectively. The worsened pain rates were 13.0%, 9.6%, and 8.1%, which decreased as the intervention degree increased (the Cochran-Armitage trend test: p<.0001). In Groups A, B, and C, 15.6%, 64.9%, 48.8% of the patients, respectively, exhibited exercise habits. Conclusion: The 'One Stretch' exercise is useful for improving LBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]