Investigation of the Persistence and Effects of Core Stability Exercises on Disability and Dynamic Balance in Women with Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background and Objective: Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Exercise therapy is one of the most common treatments for low back pain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of 6-week core stability exercises on disability and dynamic balance in women with non-specific chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: This controlled clinical trial with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design was performed on 24 women with non-specific chronic low back pain within the age range of 30-50 years. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Oswestry Disability Index and Biodex stability system were used to assess disability and dynamic balance indices (overall, anterior-posterior, medial-lateral indices, and limit of stability), respectively. Core stability exercise sessions were held for the experimental group three times per week for 6 weeks and the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed by using mixed analysis of variance repeated measure at a significance level of P ≤ 0.05. Results: The results showed that core stability exercises led to a significant increase in the limit of stability and a significant decrease in disability and overall, anterior-posterior, and medial-lateral dynamic postural stability indexes (P≤0.05). Moreover, significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding all outcome measures after the intervention. Besides, there was a significant difference between pre-test and follow-up stages in terms of outcome measures (P≤0.05). Conclusion: According to findings, the core stability exercises resulted in considerable improvements in disability and balance in women with nonspecific chronic low back pain.