INTRODUCTION: Therapeutical practice shows that patients suffering from nonspecific low back pain may in addition to movement therapy also profit from manual therapeutic intervention and, possibly, from myofascial therapy, especially of the muscle latissimus dorsi (MLD). The body of evidence, however, is insufficient here. The aim of this pilot study is to examine whether additional myofascial therapy of the MLD, conducted with patients suffering from nonspecific low back pain, has an effect on electromyographic parameters and pain, in comparison with guidelines-oriented standard therapy. METHOD: Eleven patients who had been suffering from nonspecific low back pain for at least three months were entered into the pilot study and randomly assigned to either an experimental- (n = 5) or control-group (n = 6). All patients were treated according to guidelines-oriented-standard therapy. The patients of the experimental group were additionally treated with myofascial therapy of the muscle latissimus dorsi. The effects were measured by electromyographic examination as well as different questionnaires. RESULTS: A tendential decrease of pain intensity and electromyographically detectable changes in the muscle latissimus dorsi were evident in both groups. A group specific effect of the additionally conducted myofascial therapy of the MLD, among the patients in the experimental group, could not be proven. CONCLUSION: Further experimental studies including a larger number of participants will have to examine whether this kind of therapy combination could be an effective approach for the treatment of patients suffering from nonspecific low back pain.

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