Effect of Motor Control Exercise on Proprioception and Lumbar Motor Control of Women With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain and Motor Control Impairment

Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain (NSLBP) experience impairment in proprioception and lumbar motor control which are associated with pain. This study aims to evaluate the effect of motor control exercise on proprioception and lumbar motor control of women with chronic NSLBP and motor control impairment.

Participants were 48 women with chronic NSLBP who were selected based on the Oswestry Disability Index score. They were randomly assigned into two groups of exercise (n=25) and control (n=23). The exercise group performed 8 weeks of motor control exercises, while the control group did not perform any exercises. To assess proprioception and lumbar motor control of patients, goniometer and Luomajoki’s motor control test were used, respectively. Paired t-test was used for within-group comparison of pre-test and post-test scores, and independent t-test was used for between-group comparison. The significance level was set at 0.05.

There was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in the exercise group compared to the control group in the variables of proprioception and lumbar motor control. Significant difference was also found between the two groups.

Motor control exercise is effective for the treatment of NSLBP in women by improving their proprioception and lumbar motor control.