An analysis on muscle tone and stiffness during sling exercise on static prone position.
Jeong-Ja Kim
PMID 28174469WHAT IT FOUND
In 30 healthy women, sling suspension in prone position lowered back muscle tone and stiffness within 5 to 10 minutes, while prone on table alone raised them.
This is a tissue measure, not proof of pain relief.
Key findings
01In the sling group, upper lumbar muscle tone and stiffness decreased significantly 5 to 10 minutes after suspension; lower lumbar muscle tone and stiffness decreased at 5 minutes, and lower lumbar tone decreased 5 to 10 minutes after suspension.
02In the control group, muscle tone and stiffness in both upper and lower lumbar regions increased significantly 5 to 10 minutes after adopting the prone position on the table.
03Compared with the control group, the sling group showed larger statistically significant declines in upper lumbar tone and stiffness at 5 to 10 minutes, and in lower lumbar tone at 5 minutes and 5 to 10 minutes after sling suspension.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The participants were 30 healthy women in their 20s, not people with low back pain, so the findings may not apply to patients. The study measured muscle tone and stiffness, not pain, function, or clinical improvement. Each group had only 15 participants, so confidence in the finding is limited. The authors state that the findings cannot be used to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the static prone position in specific interventions. The authors note few previous studies of muscle tone and stiffness in various treatment positions for comparison.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that sling suspension treats low back pain. The participants were healthy women, and the measured outcomes were muscle tone and stiffness, not pain.