Effectiveness of Spinal Stabilization Exercises on Dynamic Balance in Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain.
Yousef M Alshehre, Khalid Alkhathami, Kelli Brizzolara and 2 others
PMID 36793561WHAT IT FOUND
Supervised spinal stabilization exercises improved dynamic balance more than general exercises over eight weeks, but pain and disability dropped equally in both groups.
Neither exercise type reduced pain or disability beyond the threshold considered clinically meaningful.
Key findings
01The spinal stabilization group showed significantly higher dynamic balance scores than the general exercise group at four and eight weeks.
02Both groups improved in pain and disability over time, but there was no significant difference between the two exercise programs.
03The reductions in pain and disability did not exceed the minimal clinically important difference for patients with chronic low back pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Participants had relatively mild pain and disability at the start, so results may not apply to more severely affected patients. Compliance dropped significantly when supervision ended, which may have influenced the lack of continued improvement in the last four weeks. The study excluded people with acute or subacute low back pain, so it does not tell you how these exercises work in those populations. Knee and ankle strength and range of motion were not measured, so it is unclear if improvements were due solely to spinal changes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume spinal stabilization exercises will reduce pain or disability better than general exercises. The study found no difference between the groups for these outcomes, and the improvements seen did not reach the level considered clinically meaningful.