Exercise or advice for subacute low back pain

The 12 exercise or sham exercise sessions were delivered over 6 weeks: three sessions per week in weeks 1 and 2, two sessions per week in weeks 3 and 4 and one session per week in weeks 5 and 6. On three separate occasions in weeks 1, 2 and 4, participants also received advice or sham advice. The exercise program was an individualized, progressive, submaximal program designed to improve participants ability to complete functional activities specified by the participant as being difficult because of low back pain. Advice sessions were based on the advice given by Indahl et al. and aimed to encourage a graded return to normal activities. The therapist explained the benign nature of low back pain, addressed any unhelpful beliefs about back pain and emphasized that being overly careful and avoiding light activity would delay recovery.During sham advice sessions, participants were given the opportunity to talk about their low back pain and any other problems that they were having. The therapist responded in a warm and empathic manner, displaying genuine interest in the participant, but did not give advice about the low back pain.