Background and objective:

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction can explain 40 % of the cases of non-specific low back pain. Therapeutic exercise (TE) is a recommended treatment modality for the rehabilitation of this cases. The objective was to assess the effect of TE versus another interventions, on disability and pain intensity in people with sacroiliac pain or dysfunction.

Methods:

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials comparing the effect of any therapeutic exercise modality on pain intensity and/or disability. The risk of bias was determined with PEDro scale and the level of evidence according to GRADE.

Results:

Eight studies with 422 participants were analyzed. TE was compared with manual therapy, surgical fixation of the sacroiliac joint, physical modalities, education, and the use of a pelvic belt. Overall, the risk of bias was moderate. In the quantitative analysis, low quality of evidence was found about whether the exercise and manual therapy achieve the same effect on pain intensity (MD -0.25 [IC 95 % -2.60 a 2.09]); likewise, low quality of evidence was observed for the estimated superior effect in favor of ET compared to manual therapy on disability (MD -8,74 [IC 95 % -10.92 a - 6.67]).

Conclusion:

Low and very low-quality evidence suggests that TE is effective in reducing pain and disability in people with DASI or sacroiliac pain.

        · |     · |     · ( pdf )