Reproducibility of resistance exercise therapy interventions in trials for chronic low back pain is challenging: A systematic review

Objective: Determine reproducibility of resistance exercise regimens in trials for CLBP and determine if recently available checklists are effective. Methods: Four databases (Medline, PubMed, Cochrane and CINAHL) were searched for keywords related to back pain and resistance exercise. Reproducibility was assessed using two checklists, the 12-item Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) and the 19-item Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT). The proportion reporting was analysed, with additional comparison of trials pre- and post-availability of each checklist. A generalised linear regression was conducted with checklist items as the dependent variable and year of publication as the independent (PROSPERO ID = #CRD42020186036). Results: Overall, details that facilitate reproducibility were under-reported. No trials reported all checklist items, while only 18 trials (35.5%) and 5 trials (9.8%) reported 75%+ of checklist items for the TIDieR and CERT, respectively. A median of 8 (IQR 2) of 12 TIDieR criteria were reported and a median of 9 (IQR 7) of 19 criteria were reported for the CERT. There was no difference pre/post checklist publication (TIDieR median before = 8 (IQR 2), after = 8 (IQR 2.25); CERT mean before = 9 (IQR 5.25), after = 9 (IQR 7)). Regression failed to support improved reporting over time. The majority of studies (86.3%) were scored as having an elevated risk of bias. Conclusions: Reproducibility of resistance exercise in CLBP trials appears questionable due to low levels of reporting. The publication reporting checklists have not resulted in improvement. Real-world reproducibility is questionable. There is a need to improve reporting to maximise reproducibility. Impact statement: The present results reveal a demand in improved reporting to ensure both enhanced clinical translation in the real-world and replicability to enhance knowledge of best-practice for resistance exercise in the CLBP population.