The Effect of Six Weeks Core Stability Exercise Training on Balance, Pain and Function in Women with Chronic Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common and most expensive medical problems. It is the leading cause of absence from work in western societies. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the core stability exercise on pain intensity, functional disability, and the static and dynamic balance among the women with chronic low back pain.
A quasi-experimental design was used to conduct the study. This study was performed by participation of 24 women with low back pain who had been referred to physiotherapy clinics in Brojerd city in Lorestan province in 2016. On this base, 24 women aged between 20 and 45 years old with the average weight of 62.81±9/58 and average height of 161.83±5/16 were involved in the study. The study sample was randomly divided into experimental (n=12) and control (n=12) groups. A visual analog scale was used to measure the pain intensity. Oswestry questionnaire was used in order to measure the amount of disability. Furthermore, balance error scorning system and Y balance test used to evaluate the static balance and dynamic balance, respectively. All assessments and measurements were performed before and after the interventions. The experimental group performed core stability program for a period of six weeks (three sessions per week). Each session lasted 45 minutes and during this period, the control group did not receive any exercises. Independent and dependent t-tests were used to analyze the data. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS statistical software version 16, and the significance level was set at 0.05.
The results of this study showed that core stability exercises program can positively affect static and dynamic balance, as well as decreasing functional disability and intensity of chronic low back pain.
The core stability exercises are recommended as an adjunct method in treatment of women with chronic low back pain.