An analysis of the effectiveness of Kinetrac

1. ABSTRACT
An analysis of the effectiveness of the Kinetrac KNX-7000 multifunctional bed in the non-
surgical rehabilitation of degenerative diseases of the intervertebral disc of the lumbar
spine.
Key-words: degenerative diseases of the intervertebral disc, low back pain, strengthening
exercises and core stability stretching, KNX-7000 multifunctional bed.
Introduction
Degenerative diseases of the intervertebral disc are caused by excessive strain on a
dehydrated or partially damaged disc or by the presence of lumbo-pelvic instability, which
accentuates tension in spinal structures, especially in the lumbar spine.
The severity and progression of disc degeneration depends on biological and mechanical
factors.
Factors that indicate this diagnosis are the age of the patient, between 30 and 50 years,
and an acute onset of painful symptoms. The suspected diagnosis can be confirmed
through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an examination that has become routine.
The painful symptoms caused by disc degeneration in the lumbar region is called
"lumbago". Low back pain is the leading cause of long-term disability in the world. Its
incidence over the course of life is 58-84%. In addition, 11% of men and 16% of women
are suffering from chronic lower back pain. A significant 7% of general practitioner (GP)
consultations are associated to lower back pain, which causes the loss of 4.1 million
working days each year.
The conventional treatment, consisting in physiotherapeutic gymnastics (strengthening
and stretching of local and global core stability muscles), presents positive results in most
statistical analyses of scientific research, but a technological innovation such as the
Kinetrac KNX-7000 bed can facilitate the resolution of the problem.
The KNX-7000 is a system for computerized spine traction, which performs targeted
spinal decompression of the target disc and massage.
Study purpose
The aim of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy of non-surgical rehabilitation
treatments in degenerative intervertebral disc pathologies through strengthening and
stretching exercises of local and global core muscles with associated use of the Kinetrac
KNX-7000 bed, a multifunctional bed connected to an intelligent system, compared to
conventional treatment for patients in terms of functional ability, quality of life, perception
of pain and articulation.
Materials and methods
This is a retrospective study with stratified randomization.
The study population is composed of 24 subjects, suffering from degenerative pathologies
of the lumbar spine, unoperated, both male and female, equally divided into two groups:

2. • Control group (A) underwent conventional treatment:
- A program of strengthening and stretching of the local and global core stability muscles.
• Experimental group (B), on the other hand, has undergone an innovative treatment
divided into two parts:
1. In the first part group B follows the conventional treatment:
- A program of strengthening and stretching of the local and global core stability muscles.
2. In the second part, group B uses the Kinetrac KNX-7000 multifunctional bed:
- Its combined actions have the purpose of nourishing and thickening the damaged disks,
increasing the spaces between the vertebrae and loosening the vice on protrusions or
hernias of the spine.
The Kinetrac KNX-7000 table helps in functional recovery and intervenes in skeletal
muscle stretching.
(http://www.laboratorioalbaro.it/images/pdf/LA_scheda_kinetrac.pdf)
Patients were recruited according to inclusion and exclusion criteria.
The inclusion criteria are:
- Age between 18 and 55;
- Degenerative pathology of the intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine;
- Lower back pain.
The exclusion criteria are:
- Signs of serious spinal cord involvement (such as urinary or fecal incontinence,
numbness or paralysis of the limbs);
- Systemic disorders (for example, systemic scleroderma or muscular dystrophy);
- Pregnancy;
- Participation in other physiotherapy treatments in the last 6 months;
- Surgery.
Data collection was carried out in two different time intervals:
• in T0, second week after the first visit, to evaluate functional abilities through the Short
Form Health Survey 36, the quality of life through the Roland-Morris Disability
Questionnaire, the perception of pain through the Visual Analog Scale and the
Numerical Scale Voice articulation in flexion of the lumbar spine through the modified
Shober test;
• in T1, fifth week, at the end of the treatment to analyze the differences between the
final condition of the patients in the two groups.
In the week before T0 the patients of both groups underwent three sessions at the
clinic/practice, for an analgesic and anti-inflammatory treatment.

3. Results
The treatments of the two groups were evaluated with the t-student statistic.
For the Short Formative Health Survey (SF-36), representing a contrast between the
averages of the differences of the two groups, the result obtained is:
• t: 2.6778
• P (significance level): 0.0137
• Real significance: 98.63%
For the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), representing a contrast between
the averages of the differences of the two groups, the result obtained is:
• t: 2.0987
• P (significance level): 0.0475
• Real significance: 95.25%
For the visual analogue scale (VAS) , representing a contrast between the averages of
the differences of the two groups, the result obtained is:
• t: 1.9989
• P (significance level): 0.0581
• Real significance: 94.19%
For the vocal numerical scale (VNS), representing a contrast between the averages of
the differences of the two groups, the result obtained is:
• t: 1.8898
• P (significance level): 0.0720
• Real significance: 92.80%
For the Shober test Modified, representing a contrast between the averages of the
differences of the two groups, the result obtained is:
• t: 4.1064
• P (significance level): 0.0005
• Real significance: 99.95%
Conclusions
This study investigated the effects of two different treatment methods:
- Conventional: through training of local and global core stability muscles;
- Innovative: using the Kinetrac KNX-700 multifunctional bed associated with
conventional treatment.
All 24 patients who participated in the study completed the treatment program. There
was no case of abandonment or exclusion from the study.
From the analysis of the data obtained it emerged that the experimental group, using
the Kinetrac KNX-7000 table, produced a statistically significant improvement for:
- functional abilities: physical function, physical role, body pain, general health, vitality,
social function, emotional role, mental health.
(Short Form Health Survey 0.0137 <0.05);
- the quality of life: the performance of daily activities
(Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire 0.0475 <0.05);

4. - the articulation in flexion of the lumbar spine
(Modified Shober Test 0.0005 <0.05).
However, from the analysis of the data obtained, a statistically insignificant improvement
in the perception of pain was registered.
(VAS 0.0581> 0.05 and VNS 0.0720> 0.05).
This study has limitations due to the reduced sample.