Effects of pain neuroscience education along with core stability exercises on patients with chronic low back pain: a narrative review

Low back pain is known as the main cause of disability worldwide. The purpose of this review article was to review the effects of Pain Neuroscience Education(PNE) along with core stability exercises on patients with chronic low back pain.

In this narrative study, we reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of PNE along with core stability exercises on chronic low back pain from 2000 to 2024. We searched six electronic databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and PEDRO, to review the literature and background studies. The search terms included "low back pain", "Core stability", "Pain Neuroscience Education", Motor control. The PEDro scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the articles.

77 studies were reviewed, of which five studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for review. RCTs showed that PNE along with core stability exercises reduces pain, increases functional ability, and improves psychological components, as well as improving other important factors, including improving strength and flexibility in people with low back pain.

The results of this study show that the synergy between these two interventions may be associated with the simultaneous reduction of pain, improvement of functional capacity and reduction of psychological distress. However, research combining the effects of these interventions is limited and should be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations.