Effect of lumbar stabilization exercise on disc herniation index, sacral angle, and functional improvement in patients with lumbar disc herniation.
Dae-Keun Jeong, Hyun-Ho Choi, Jeong-Il Kang and 1 others
PMID 29643588WHAT IT FOUND
Both exercises reduced disc herniation index and back disability scores after four weeks.
Sacral angle fell in both groups, from 37.2 to 31.52 degrees in the balance-center group and from 36.2 to 34.52 degrees in the 3D group. No control group was used.
Key findings
01At four weeks, disc herniation index decreased from 256.5 to 186.7 points in the balance-center group and from 265.6 to 206.8 points in the 3D group; KODI decreased from 26.4 to 16.3 points in the balance-center group and from 26.1 to 17.6 points in the 3D group.
02Sacral angle decreased from 37.2 to 31.52 degrees in the balance-center group and from 36.2 to 34.52 degrees in the 3D group, but the paper reported a significant change only in the balance-center group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 30 participants were studied at one institution, so the results may not apply to other settings or to larger groups. There was no control group or usual-care comparison, so the study cannot show that either exercise is better than doing nothing. The sample excluded people with other diseases, surgery, or neurological disorders and included only those aged 25 to 50 who could walk independently, so it does not apply to more disabled or older patients. The paper did not report dropouts or how missing data were handled. Outcomes were measured only after four weeks, so long-term effects are unknown. The authors said they could not control confounding variables such as drugs taken by patients.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that lumbar stabilization exercise is better than usual care or that it reliably reduces disc herniation. The study compared active exercise groups only, had 30 participants, did not include a control group, did not report dropouts, and measured outcomes after four weeks.