The following is a summary of “Effectiveness of an exercise intervention based on preactivation of the abdominal transverse muscle in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain in primary care: a randomized control trial,” published in the September 2023 issue of Primary Care by Rubí-Carnacea et al.
Low back pain is a common disabling pathology that can be treated with physical exercises. Researchers conducted a retrospective study to contrast the effectiveness of a re-education exercise program involving preactivation of the abdominal transverse muscle to conventional treatment for chronic nonspecific low back pain in adults.
They conducted a two-arm, single-blind, randomized control trial with 35 primary care patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Both groups received a 4-week intervention, with data collected at baseline and post-intervention. The intervention group had 16 patients, and the control group had 19.
The results demonstrated that in the experimental group, disability decreased significantly (Mean Difference [MD] -2.9; 95% CI -5.6 to -0.35; Effect Size [η2] = 0.14; P= 0.028), and activation of the abdominal transverse muscle increased significantly (MD 2.3; 95% CI 0.91 to 3.67; η2 = 0.25; P=0.002), both with substantial effect size, in comparison to the control group. The groups had no differences in pain, thickness, or resistance of the transverse abdominal muscle.
They concluded that a 4-week re-education exercise program involving preactivation of the abdominal transverse muscle was more effective than conventional treatment for chronic nonspecific low back pain.
Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-023-02140-3
