Randomized Pilot Trial for a Community-Based Group Stretching Exercise Program for Chronic Low Back Pain

BackgroundAuthors of meta-analyses concluded that exercise therapy appears to be slightly effective at decreasing pain and improving function in adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP), particularly in health-care populations. Similar to health-care settings, community organizations provide wellness and lifestyle modification programs. Different versions of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Y’s Way to a Healthy Back program were offered from 1974 to 2004. Champions of the YMCA program and authors of the pilot study designed a Healthy Back Curriculum to update and reintroduce the program. Objective: The research aim of this randomized pilot trial was to investigate the feasibility of a follow-up larger randomized controlled trial on the program’s effectiveness for CLBP. The randomized pilot trial addressed subject recruitment, retention, and subject compliance with protocol. Methods: The pilot trial employed a 2-arm parallel group randomized design. Seventy-eight subjects aged 18 to 64 years wi...