Can a simple heat wrap and exercise stop back pain from becoming chronic?

This study tested whether using a heat wrap (thermal therapy) along with specific exercises provides better and longer-lasting relief for recent low back pain than using heat alone or just getting general advice. Researchers recruited 100 people with recent back pain and randomly assigned them to one of these three groups for a week. They tracked participants' pain, ability to do daily activities, and physical activity levels for six months to see which approach worked best.