Comparative effects of Core Stability Exercises and Endurance Training in Patients with Mechanical Low Back Pain

Abstract

Low back pain is a major health problem resulting in psychosocial and physical disability. The prevalence of LBP and risk of recurrence is rising due to the sedentary life style, poor postural awareness and short term oriented intervention plans. It is the need of the time to design one or more exercise plans that can improve pain and functional disability and prevent recurrence of symptoms in patients with mechanical low back pain. Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the effects of core stability exercises and endurance training on the pain and functional disability in the population having mechanical low back pain. Materials and Methods: It was a quasi-experimental study with 74 patients with chronic low back pain, divided equally in two groups containing 37 patients each. Both groups were treated with baseline of moist heat pack in combination with interferential. Group A was treated with core stability exercises and group B was treated with endurance training for five times a week.  Pre and post treatment scores were compared with NPRS for intensity of pain and Oswestry Disability Index for functional disability scores. Results: Data was analysis by SPSS.25 on 74 patients. In type of pain, about 79% of patients were suffering from moderate and severe type of pain while there were only 21% of patients who came with mild pain in both groups. Independent t-test was applied for changes between the group on NPRS scale, the results shows significant results with p<0.05. In core stability group the difference between pretreatment and post treatment was 6.08 to 1.4 and in stability group the difference was 6.13 to 1.10. Endurance training exercises on ODI, there was no one with severe disability, and 94.6 %were with minimal disability and only 5.4 % were with moderate disability.  It shows that endurance training exercises were better than stability exercises. Conclusion: It is concluded that endurance training has more clinical difference on outcome measures of NPRS and ODI as compared to core stability exercises in patients with mechanical low back pain.