The Influence of Therapeutic Exercise on Subsequent Occurrence of Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Dysfunction Within One Year of a Low Back Pain Diagnosis in the Military Health System- MHSRS 2024

foster k, wang-proce s, weber m, brizzolara k, yuan x, boeth r, rhon d

Abstract accepted for oral presentation at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium

Exercise is a treatment recommended in clinical practice guidelines for low back pain (LBP). The primary purpose was to determine the impact of receiving therapeutic exercise (TE) for the management of LBP on time-to occurrence of subsequent lower extremity (LE) injury within 1 year, in beneficiaries of the Military Health System (MHS). The secondary purpose was to examine the dosing impact (number of TE sessions) on time-to-occurrence of subsequent LE injury in beneficiaries who received TE.

Following LBP diagnosis, individuals wh did not recieve TE had an increased rish of subsequent LE injury in the year following the episode of LBP. Further, in individuals who did receive TE, the risk of subsequent LE injury significantly decreased with each additional session. The results of the study highlight the potential downstream impact and health, implications of LBP, as well as information to guide to treatment and return to duty decisions after LBP.