Data for Research waste in randomised trials of exercise treatments for chronic low back pain-trial sequential and cumulative meta-analyses by publication date and size

A further 43 trials with 2626 participants were included in the Cochrane review. In 2004, the mean effect sizes for pain and disability were -12.85 (95% CI -24.89 to -0.81) and -6.67 (95% CI -11.27 to 3.36), respectively; similar to those reported by Cochrane in 2021. Including small trials substantially affected effect size estimates.

When the 33 and 36 trials, respectively, with fewer than 70 participants are excluded, the limits of the 95% CIs for effect size estimates exclude the clinically important differences ((pain; -8.8 (95% CI -11.38 to -5.63): disability -4.27 (95% CI -6.12 to -2.24). Conclusions: It may be difficult to justify any further trials comparing exercise interventions to usual care/no treatment for chronic low back pain. The inclusion of small studies in meta-analyses has produced biased results in previous meta-analyses.

Exercise treatments might not have a clinically important effect on people with chronic low back pain.<br><br>Dataset to support a publication in BMJ Open