Cognitive functional therapy for lower back pain: A meta-analytical assessment of pain and disability outcomes in randomized controlled trials

• Published in: Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation
• Main Authors: Kandeel, Mahmoud, Morsy, Mohamed A, Khodair, Khalid M Al, Alhojaily, Sameer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 03.09.2024
• Subjects: disability scores; meta-analysis; pain scores; randomized controlled trials; Cognitive functional therapy; low back pain
• ISSN: 1878-6324
• DOI: 10.3233/BMR-240230

Cognitive functional therapy (CFT) aims to address low back pain (LBP) comprehensively by considering physical, psychological, and social factors. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of CFT in reducing pain and disability in individuals with LBP over various time intervals. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of CFT on LBP. In this study, 1510 records were initially identified, and 7 studies were included in the analysis. Disability scores were significantly reduced after CFT had been applied for 6 to 8 weeks (SMD =-0.46, 95% CI [-0.74, -0.19]), 12 weeks to 3 months (SMD =-0.54, 95% CI [-0.72, -0.36]), 6 months (MD =-5.82, 95% CI [-9.82, -1.82]), and 12 months (SMD =-0.4, 95% CI [-0.55, -0.26]). There were also significant reductions in pain scores observed after 12 weeks to 3 months (SMD =-0.49, 95% CI [-0.68, -0.3]), 6 months (MD =-0.75, 95% CI [-1.5, -0.0001]), and 12 months (SMD =-0.27, 95% CI [-0.42, -0.12]). CFT showed potential for improving disability scores for individuals with LBP across various time intervals. However, its impacts on pain scores varied.