Introduction: Due to the high incidence of low back pain in the population, is very important to study methods of prevention and treatment for this disease. The Back School, an approach that aims to provide to participants the increase of self-care, associating primary prevention to health education, has been suggested for the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of Back School on functional capacity and pain intensity, in short and medium term, at patients with chronic low back pain. Methods: Fifty eight patients with chronic low back pain, selected at UniCesumar physical therapy's clinic, were evaluated, by an independent examiner, using Roland-Morris Questionnaire, Pain Visual Analogue Scale and asked about medications consumption. In sequence, all the patients were randomized into two groups: 1) School Program and 2) Control. The group 1 patients participated of Back School program, composed of theoretical-practical classes, twice a week, totaling ten classes of 60 minutes; and group 2 were followed only by phone calls. The data were statistically analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test, Friedman and Wilcoxon, using the significant values of p < 0,05. Results: Fifty three patients finished the study and were analyzed after the treatment protocol, as well as three and six months sequent. The improvement in pain intensity and functional capacity was statistically significant only in the Back School group. Conclusion: In the present study, it was verified the effectiveness of Back School program to improve pain intensity and functional capacity of patients with chronic low back pain. Keywords: Low Back Pain; Health Education; Rehabilitation.
ResumoIntrodução: Devido à alta incidência de lombalgia na população, estudar métodos que abordem a prevenção e o tratamento dessa afecção é de suma importância. A Escola de Postura, abordagem que objetiva proporcionar aos participantes o aumento do autocuidado, associando a prevenção primária à educação em saúde, tem sido sugerida para o tratamento de pacientes com lombalgia crônica. Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os benefícios da Escola de Postura na capacidade funcional e na intensidade da dor, a curto e médio prazo, em pacientes com lombalgia crô-nica. Método: Cinquenta e oito pacientes com lombalgia crônica, selecionados na clínica de Fisioterapia da UniCesumar, foram avaliados por um examinador independente, através do Questionário Roland-Morris, da Escala Visual Analógica da dor e questionados quanto ao consumo medicamentoso. Na sequência, todos foram aleatorizados em dois grupos: 1) Escola de Postura e 2) Controle. Os pacientes do grupo 1 participaram do programa de Escola de Postura, composto por aulas teórico-práticas, com frequência de duas vezes por semana, totalizando dez aulas de 60 minutos; e os do grupo 2 foram acompanhados apenas por meio de ligações telefônicas. Os dados foram posteriormente analisados estatisticamente através dos testes "U" de Mann-Whitney, Friedman ...