Vol. 49 - 2013 EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION MEDICINE 1 Perceptive rehabilitation of patients with non-speciic chronic low back pain: the role of body midline. A randomized controlled trial ard distribution of the cones, without less deformable cones along interspinous line, makes the Su-Per treat- ment more acceptable to patients. KEY WORDS: Low back pain - Rehabilitation - Prioception. L ow back pain reportedly occurs at least once in 85% of adults younger than 50 years and 15- 20% of Americans have at least one episode of back pain per year; data from other Western countries are similar. Of these patients, only 20% can be given a precise patho-anatomic diagnosis. Both male and female populations are affected; however, there is a tendency towards a higher incidence in male pa- tients. 1 Conservative treatments such as supervised ex- ercise therapy, brief educational interventions and multidisciplinary (bio-psycho-social) treatment are each recommended for non-speciic chronic low back pain (CLBP) given their positive effects on pain relief and functional improvement, but no single treatment has been shown to yield better outcomes than others. 2, 3 “Back Schools” (for short-term and intermediate improvement) 4 and short courses in 1 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit La Sapienza University of Rome Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy 2 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit La Sapienza University of Rome Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy 3 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy EUR J PHYS REHABIL MED 2013;49:1-9 M. VETRANO 1 , S. POURNAJAF 1 , M. C. VULPIANI 1 , F. SANTOBONI 1 T. PAOLUCCI 2 , E. SPADINI 3 , A. FERRETTI 1 , V. M. SARACENI 1, 2 Background. Surface for perceptive rehabilitation (Su-Per treatment) is a hopeful therapeutic system in the treatment of non-speciic chronic low back pain (CLBP). During treatment, some patients poorly toler- ate the presence of the less elastic cones at the back midline. Aim. To assess the importance of an increased aware- ness of body midline through higher stimulus at inter- spinous line during Su-Per treatment for non-speciic CLBP. Design. Single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Setting. Outpatient academic hospital. Population. Forty patients with non-speciic CLBP, for at least 12 weeks before treatment. Methods. The patients were distributed in 2 groups: Group A (20 patients) received standard Su-Per treat- ment; Group B (20 patients) received Su-Per treatment without higher stimulus at interspinous line. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale and the Present Pain Intensity and Pain Rating Index of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Disability was evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index. Results. In both groups, a signiicant reduction of pain and disability scores was observed at the irst follow-up (end of treatment), and was maintained at later evaluations (4-weeks, and 12-weeks follow up). No signiicant difference was observed between the two groups in all outcome measures at all time points (P>0.05 for all). Conclusion. Su-Per treatment is a valid modality in a cognitive-perceptive therapeutic concept for non- speciic CLBP. It does not necessarily require external stimulation of the body midline to be effective. Clinical rehabilitation impact. Modifying the stand- Corresponding author: M. Vetrano, Physical Medicine and Reha- bilitation Unit, La Sapienza University of Rome, Sant’Andrea Hospi- tal, Via di Grottarossa, 1035-1039, 00189 Rome, Italy. E-mail: mariovetrano@gmail.com MINERVA MEDICA COPYRIGHT® This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies (either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use is not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, logo, or other proprietary information of the Publisher.