Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 26, 2025
Biomechanical Changes Related to Low Back Pain: An Innovative Tool for Movement Pattern Assessment and Treatment Evaluation in Rehabilitation
Published on: December 13, 2024
Effectiveness of specific stabilization exercise compared with traditional trunk exercise in women with non-specific
Eduard Minobes-Molina1, Maria Rosa Nogués2, Montse Giralt2
1Research group on Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences- (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Centre for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVIC-UCC), Vic, Barcelona, Spain.
Background:
Non-specific low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The primary physiotherapeutic treatment for LBP is physical exercise, but evidence suggesting a specific exercise as most appropriate for any given case is limited.
Objective:
To determine if specific stabilization exercise (SSE) is more effective than traditional trunk exercise (TTE) in reducing levels of pain, disability and inflammation in women with non-specific low back pain (LBP).
Design:
A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted in Rovira i Virgili University, Catalonia.
Methods:
Thirty-nine females experiencing non-specific LBP were included in two groups: the TTE program and SSE program, both were conducted by a physiotherapist during twenty sessions. The primary outcome was pain intensity (10-cm Visual Analogue Scale). Secondary outcomes were disability (Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire), and inflammation (IL-6 and TNF-α plasma levels). Measurements were taken at baseline, at half intervention, at post-intervention, and a month later.
Results:
Mean group differences in change from baseline to post-intervention for TTE were: -4.5 points (CI 3.3 to 5.6) for pain, -5.1 points (CI 3.0 to 7.3) for disability, 0.19 pg/mL (95% CI [-1.6-1.2]) for IL-6 levels, and 46.2 pg/mL (CI 13.0 to 85.3) for TNF-α levels. For SSE, differences were: -4.3 points (CI 3.1 to 5.6) for pain, -6.1 points (CI 3.7 to 8.6) for disability, 1.1 pg/mL (CI 0.0 to 2.1) for IL-6 levels , and 12.8 pg/mL (95% CI [-42.3-16.7]) for TNF-α levels. There were an insignificant effect size and no statistically significant overall mean differences between both groups.
Conclusion:
This study suggests that both interventions (traditional trunk and specific stabilization exercises) are effective in reducing pain and disability in non-specific LBP patients, but the two programs produce different degrees of inflammation change.
Clinical Trial Registration Number:
NCT02103036.
