Variability of anticipatory postural adjustments after performing stabilization exercises in recurrent nonspecific low back pain patients

The theraputic exercise is regarded as one of the most important theraputic interventions in the chronic low back pain patients. Stabilization exercise is among the most significant practical ones in these patients. The study of the effects of these exercises on the variability of trunk muscles postural strategies and the ability in normalizing these strategies are among the uncertainties that have remained unknown up to the present time. The purpose of this research is the study of the effect of stabilization exercises on the variability of postural control strategies in these patients. The study was performed on 21 (14 males, 7 females) recurrent non-specific low back pain patients. The electromyographic activity of Deltoid, Transverse Abdominis/Internal Oblique, External Oblique and Erector Spinae muscles of each person was recorded in 75 rapid arm flexion with maximum acceleration. Then, 14 individuals were placed in the experimental group and 7 in the control group randomly.The experimental group performed isolated abdominal hollowing and bracing exercises using pressure biofeedback with the supervision of a physiotherapist in different positions including supine, sitting on a chair, standing still and standing with rapid arm raises with maximum acceleration once a day, for 20 sessions. The variables studied in this research were evaluated in both experimental and control groups after the training sessions. The standard deviation of the trunk muscles onset latencies relative to deltoid muscle was statistically analyzed by a dependent t-test in both groups. The results revealed that performing the stabilization exercises increases the variability of the timing of anticipatory postural adjustments in TrA/IO in the experimental group (P=.037), while there were no significant changes in the variability of EO (P=.0346) and ES (P=.673) muscles in these patients. The variability of the timing of the anticipatory postural adjustment in TrA/IO (P=.199), EO (P=.702) and ES (P=.465) muscles did not show any significant changes in the control group. The study of the results showed that the reduction in the variability of postural control system in recurrent non-specific low back pain patients as a factor that causes the continuity of back pain can be improved by goal-directed stabilization exercises.