Ultrasound therapy" lacks evidence of effectiveness for chronic back pain
Although pain in the lower back is common, it is considered "non-specific" when the cause of the pain is unknown, and "chronic" when it lasts more than three months.
Because it can cause a variety of disorders, many people will need "therapy" to treat chronic back pain.One of the treatments is called "ultrasound therapy", which is a method of using machines that can use sound waves (vibrations) to treat medical problems.
Reviewing studies
published up to January 2020, there are randomized controlled trials and studies that compared ultrasound therapy to placebo or other treatments alone or with another treatment for these, people over the age of 18 with chronic non-specific back pain.
As a result, 10 studies involving a total of 1025 people were reviewed and the results of the studies for mild to moderate low back pain.
The subjects experienced pain in their daily lives and were treated in an outpatient hospital or clinic, where they received 6-18 ultrasound treatments and were followed up for a period of time after the treatment.
They were compared to ultrasound therapy with
Placebo (5 studies)
No treatment (1 study)
Electrical pulses (1 study)
Spinal manipulation (1 study)
Osteopathy (1 study)
and laser therapy (1 study)
In addition, three studies compared ultrasound and exercise to exercise alone.
Main results
There is little to suggest that ultrasound is an effective treatment for people with nonspecific chronic low back pain.
Ebadi S, Henschke N, Forogh B, Nakhostin Ansari N, Tulder MW, Babaei-Ghazani A, FallahE. Ultrasound treatment of chronic low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, No. 7. Art. No.: CD009169. doi: 10.1002 /14651858.CD009169.pub3. Accessed May 9, 2021.
Summary.
Although "ultrasound therapy" was one of the commonly used thermal therapies, we can conclude that there is no evidence of benefit for "non-specific chronic low back pain".Therefore, there may be no point in using it or paying for ultrasound therapy, although it may be offered by medical institutions or private organizations that use it.Those who recommend it may have an opportunity to put their hands on their chests and reconsider on what basis they are recommending it.
