The Effectiveness of Lumbar Spine Stabilization Exercise in Patients with Non-Specific Sub-acute or Chronic Low Back Pain as Compared to Traditional Physical Therapy

Abstract

Based on the literature available, teaching spinal stabilization targeting the lumbar multifidii, transversus abdominis, and internal obliques is no more beneficial than generalized strengthening, manual therapy, modalities, and/or education in reducing pain or improving function in patients with generalized sub-acute or chronic low back pain ¡Ý 3 months. The typical populations in the articles were similar to the clinical scenario in regards to the mean age being approximately 35-55 years old and the patient¡¯s having generalized low back pain for ¡Ý 3 months. The lumbar spine stabilization protocol differed between studies and is a potential threat to the applicability of the study results. In addition, the comparison group protocol, whether it be manual therapy or general endurance exercise, was not well defined and there was little effort to control for extraneous variables outside of the study setting. Although there were minor threats to internal and external validity in each study, the overall quality of the research provides a foundation to base treatment decisions for patients with generalized sub-acute or chronic low back pain.