Esoteric Connective Tissue Therapy for chronic low back pain to reduce pain and improve functionality and general well-being compared with physiotherapy: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

摘要

BackgroundLow back pain causes more global disability than any other condition. Once the acute pain becomes chronic, about two-thirds of sufferers will not fully recover after 1–2 years. There is a paucity of effective treatments for non-specific, chronic low back pain.It has been noted that low back pain is associated with changes in the connective tissue in the affected area, and a very low-impact treatment, Esoteric Connective Tissue Therapy (ECTT), has been developed to restore flexibility in connective tissue. ECTT uses patterns of very small, circular movements, to the legs, arms, spine, sacrum and head, which anecdotally are effective in pain relief. In an unpublished single-arm phase I/II trial with chronic pain patients, ECTT showed a 56% reduction in pain after five treatments and 45% and 54% improvements at 6 months and 7–9 years of follow-up respectively.