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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Oct;62(10):e586-e592.
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001993.

Comparison of Supervised and Telehealth Delivery of Worksite Exercise for Prevention of Low Back Pain in Firefighters: A Cluster Randomized Trial

John M Mayer  1 , Charity L Lane, O'Dane Brady, Henian Chen, Yuanyuan Lu, Brittany V B Johnson, Simon Dagenais
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Comparison of Supervised and Telehealth Delivery of Worksite Exercise for Prevention of Low Back Pain in Firefighters: A Cluster Randomized Trial

John M Mayer et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed worksite exercise delivered by on-site supervision (supervised) or telehealth to reduce lost work time (LWT) related to low back pain (LBP) in firefighters.

Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial assigned 264 career firefighters to supervised (n = 86) or telehealth (n = 95) back and core exercises 2×/week for 12 months, or control (n = 83).

Results: 58.0% (153/264) of participants reported LBP and 7.6% (20/264) reported LWT related to LBP (control n = 10, supervised n = 5, telehealth n = 5). Participants in the control group experienced 1.15 times as many hours of LWT as the supervised group, and 5.51 times as many hours of LWT as the telehealth group.

Conclusions: Worksite exercise, delivered by on-site supervision or telehealth, can reduce LWT related to LBP in career firefighters.

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References

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