What is the evidence for the use of EMG Biofeedback in the treatment of chronic low back pain (LBP)?
AMSTAR Rating
Summary
Patient Population:
- Patients with low back pain
- 21 studies total (including 1062 patients), with 18 studies using EMG biofeedback (n = 921) aged 18 or older
- Subjects: 65% female
Intervention:
- Biofeedback (EMG, HRV, resp) as a treatment for LBP in adults
Comparison:
- Waitlist (no treatment) (7 RCTs)
- CBT (4 RCTs)
- Education, physiotherapy (8 RCTs)
Outcome:
- Moderate benefit for biofeedback across multiple controls including physiotherapy alone, CBT, or no treatment (waitlist control)
- Moderate effect on reduction of pain
- No effect on disability
- Moderate effect on mood symptoms/depression
- Moderate effect on cognitive coping
- Moderate-large effect on reduction of muscle tension
Guideline Recommendations
| Source | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| American College of Physicians | Strong Recommendations (low-quality evidence) |
Outcomes Assessed
- Benefit
- Harm
- Inconclusive
Disability
Disability
Pain
Pain
Muscle Tension
Other
Mood
Cognitive
Relevant Clinical Info
Glombiewski, et al. (2010) had a study of EMG biofeedback with CBT (n = 62) v. cognitive behavioural therapy alone (CBT) (n = 52), and found patients who received EMG biofeedback to their back musculature for an average total of 540 min (9 hours) and CBT had a positive impact on pain and disability comparable to CBT alone [significantly better in comparison to controls who were awaiting treatment (wait-list control)].
Participant Information
of participants
were Female
the sample size was 1062
their were 21 studies used.
