Enhanced Pain Relief and Muscle Growth in Individuals with Low Back Instability: The Impact of Blood Flow Restriction...

BACKGROUND Blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE) improves muscle strength at a relatively low intensity by temporarily restricting blood flow. This study compared pain and quadriceps muscle mass (QMM) in 40 patients with lower back pain (LBP) undertaking sit-to-stand (STS) exercise with and without blood flow restriction. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty adults were divided into 2 groups, and the experimental group (n=20) performed an STS exercise with BFRE, and the control group (n=20) performed an STS exercise without BFRE. Blood pressure, including systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), was measured using a portable blood pressure monitor. Saturation of percutaneous oxygen (SpO2) was measured using oxygen saturation. Pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI). QMM was assessed using ultrasonography. RESULTS Data were analyzed using paired and independent t tests. SBP (P=.000), DBP (P=.004), and SpO2 (P=.001) were significantly different in the experimental group, both before and during the intervention. The VAS scores showed a statistically significant difference in the post-test (P=.003) and rate of change (P=.009) between the groups. The ODI scores showed statistically significant differences in the post-test (P=.000) and rate of change (P=.001) comparison between the groups. The rate of change in QMM, including the rectus femoris (P=.000), vastus intermedius (P=.004), vastus medialis (P=.001), and vastus lateralis (P=.014), increased significantly in the experimental group compared to that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that the additive effect of BFRE on pain relief and QMM increase, thus contributing to existing knowledge about therapeutic exercise for the effective management of LBP.