• Martin Nuhr, Klaus Hoerauf, Alexander Bertalanffy, Petra Bertalanffy, Nathalie Frickey, Carmen Gore, Burkhard Gustorff, and Alexander Kober.
• Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
• Spine. 2004 Jul 15;29(14):1499-503.

Study DesignProspective randomized blinded trial in a prehospital emergency system.ObjectivesTo evaluate the effects of external active warming on acute back pain during rescue transport to hospital.Background DataAcute low back pain is one of the complaints that most often entails a visit to the physician or use of the emergency system. Superficial (e.g., hydrocolloid packs) and deep heating (e.g., ultrasound) can relieve acute low back pain in a clinical setting. Recent data showed significant benefit for patients in pain from minor trauma treated by active warming during emergency transport. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that active warming would reduce pain and anxiety in patients with acute low back pain being transported to a hospital.MethodsA total of 100 patients were included in our study. We selected only those suffering from acute pain > 60 mm on a visual analog scale in the lower back. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: active warming with a carbon-fiber electric heating blanket (Group 1) versus passive warming with a woolen blanket (Group 2) during transfer to hospital. RESULTS.: Pain scores on arrival at the hospital differed significantly between Group 1 and Group 2 (P < 0.01). In Group 1, pain reduction from 74.2 +/- 8.5 mm VAS to 41.9 +/- 18.9 mm VAS (P < 0.01) was noted between departure from the emergency site and arrival at the hospital. Pain scores remained practically unchanged in Group 2 (73.3 +/- 11.9 mm VAS and 74.1 +/- 12.0 mm VAS).ConclusionsActive warming reduces acute low back pain during rescue transport.

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