Sleep disturbance is frequently reported by people with chronic low back pain (CLBP >12 weeks), but there is limited knowledge of their sleep quality compared to healthy people. While disturbed sleep influences patients' mood, quality of life and recovery, few studies have comprehensively investigated sleep in CLBP. This study investigated differences in sleep profiles of people with CLBP, compared to age- and gender matched controls over seven consecutive nights. Thirty-two consenting subjects (n=16 with CLBP, n=16 matched controls), aged 24-65 years (43.8% male) underwent an interview regarding sleep influencing variables (e.g. mattress firmness, caffeine consumption), completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Diary, SF36-v2, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and CLBP measures (i.e. Oswestry Disability Index and Numerical Pain Scales), recorded seven consecutive nights of sleep in their home using actigraphy, and completed a Devices Utility Questionnaire.Background and purpose
Methods
Sleep disturbance is a prevalent symptom in people with chronic low back pain (CLBP >12 weeks), but there is currently no knowledge of the effectiveness of physiotherapy for this problem. This study evaluated the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) exploring the effects of physiotherapy on sleep disturbance in CLBP [Current controlled trial ISRCTN 54009836]. A sample of 60 consenting patients with CLBP [23 M, 37 F; mean (SD) age = 44.93 (13.41) years] were recruited in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin and randomly allocated to one of three groups [supervised exercise class (SEC), walking programme (WP) and usual physiotherapy (UP)] in a concealed manner. The main outcomes were sleep quality, functional disability, pain, and quality of life at baseline, 3 and 6 months.Background and purpose
Methods