Effects of hip mobility exercise and lumbar stabilization exercise on pain, disability index, and trunk strength in chronic low back pain patients

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hip mobility exercise(HME) and lumbar stabilization exercise (LSE) on pain, disability index, and trunk strength(TS) in chronic low back pain patients (CLBP). Method: Thirty patients with CLBP were randomized into two groups of 15 members each. One group performed LSE and the other group performed HME, each for 30 minutes three times a week for four weeks. Pain was measured with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), disability with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Trunk Strength (TS) with Back-check 608, before the experiment and at four weeks. Results: There were significant differences between groups before and 4 weeks after intervention in VAS, ODI, and TS (p<0.05). In the comparison between the two groups, only the VAS decreased more in the HME group than in the LSE group, and there was no difference in other variables (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that both HME and LSE help CLBP with pain, disability index, and trunk strength.