Efectividad de la terapia de tracción mecánica en la reducción del dolor lumbar en pacientes con hernia de disco: una revisión sistemática y metaanálisis.

Abstract

The present study aims to determine the clinical effect of mechanical traction on discogenic low back pain and functionality in patients with intervertebral disc herniation. The methodology consisted of a review of the related literature in the PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, SciELO and PEDro databases. We included randomized controlled trials comparing lumbar mechanical traction therapy with conventional conservative therapy in people with herniated discs diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging. To test for heterogeneity, the Chi-square test was used and for heterogeneity, a random effects model was used. Subgroup analyzes and sensitivity analyzes were used to explore the causes of heterogeneity. If there was no heterogeneity, the fixed effects model was used and funnel plots were used to test for publication bias. The following results were obtained: The visual analogue scale (VAS) in the mechanical traction group was lower than that in the conventional physiotherapy group (MD = -0.61 (95% CI (-1.96, -0.25)), Z = - 3.32 and P < 0.001). There was no heterogeneity between studies (Chi2 = 3.47, P < 0.001 and I2 = 71%) or publication bias. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) in the mechanical traction group was lower than that in the conventional physiotherapy group (MD = -0.57 (95% CI (-0.92, -0.22)), Z = -3.18 and P = 0.001). There was no heterogeneity between studies (Chi2 = 3.15, P = 0.003 and I2 = 68%) or publication bias. It was concluded that mechanical traction can effectively relieve lower back and improve functionality in patients with lumbar disc herniation.