Effects of Whole-Body-Electromyostimulation on Low Back Pain – a Review of the Evidence

This work presents a pooled analysis of individual participant data from four randomised controlled trials focused on the effects of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) in people with chronic non-specific low back pain. Thirty-six untrained people over 60 with frequent pain in the lumbar spine region were included in the analysis. The interventions lasted 14 to 52 weeks and used comparable WB-EMS protocols with a frequency of approximately 1-2 sessions per week. The main outcome measures were pain intensity and the frequency of pain in the lumbar spine region. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in back pain intensity in the group using WB-EMS. At the same time, the frequency of pain also decreased. The authors concluded that WB-EMS represents an effective and time-efficient option for people with chronic non-specific back pain and can be an interesting alternative to conventional approaches.

- The analysis is based on four randomised controlled trials. - A total of 36 people over 60 with frequent back pain were evaluated. - The WB-EMS group showed a significant reduction in back pain intensity. - The difference between the EMS group and the control group was statistically significant (p = 0.012). - The frequency of back pain also decreased. - The authors describe WB-EMS as a potentially very effective and time-saving method for people with chronic back pain.

The results show that regular muscle activation using WB-EMS can contribute significantly to reducing the intensity and frequency of chronic back pain. Thanks to the short duration of training, WB-EMS can be a suitable choice particularly for people with limited time or difficulties with conventional exercise programmes.