In Season 1 Episode 5 of Inside the Science I’m joined by Ms. Audrey Long, author of Does it matter which exercise? A randomized controlled trial of exercise for low back pain which was published in Spine in 2004. Although it’s over 15 years old it is a fundamental study for any clinician who evaluates and treats patients with low back pain. Being how common comparative effectiveness studies which show results where all the groups are improved but none more than the others, this study shows a different result. Comparing groups with a matched program to their directional preference, a non-matched program and a control group who received “evidence based”, non-directionally-specific, exercises, this trial revealed stark differences in patient responses. Hear Audrey acknowledge its limitations, how she uses this study with her patient education and how she’d encourage clinicians to be careful to not exaggerate its findings.