A pilot study to investigate the effect of lumbar stabilisation exercise training on functional ability and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain

In recent times lumbar stabilisation programmes, targeting the local stabilisers in the lumbar region, have increased in popularity in the treatment of chronic low back pain (CI.BP) yet their effectiveness in enhancing quality of life remains unclear. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of a programme of lumbar stabilisation exercises in improving quality of life and functional outcomes in patients with CLBP. Forty-one patients with CLBP who volunteered to take part in the study were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n=20) or a control group (n=21). The treatment group underwent a 10-week lumbar stabilisation programme whilst the control group received no intervention. The Roland Disability Questionnaire, Oswestry Disability Questionnaire and the SF-36 survey were administered to subjects in both groups at baseline and follow-up. Significant improvements were seen in all measures in the treatment group whereas control subjects demonstrated either no change or a significant worsening (P<0.05). These results suggest that a programme of lumbar stabilisation is effective in improving quality of life and functional outcome in patients with CLBP.