The Cochrane Library is a respected source of reliable evidence related to health care. Cochrane systematic reviews examine the evidence for and against the effectiveness and appropriateness of interventions – medications, surgery, education, nutrition, exercises – and the evidence for and against the use of diagnostic tests for particular conditions. Cochrane reviews are designed to facilitate the decisions of clinicians, patients, and others in health care by providing a careful review and interpretation of research studies published in the scientific literature. Every article in this PTJ series will summarize a Cochrane review or other scientific evidence resource on one specific topic and will present clinical scenarios based on real patients to illustrate how the results of the review can be applied to directly inform clinical decisions.
The article focuses on the effectiveness of exercise for the prevention of recurrence of nonspecific low back pain. Can an exercise program improve the quality of life in individuals like this patient with recurrent low back pain?