Comparison of the effect of central stability exercises and mechanical stretching of the spine on the motor function of pain caused by disc herniation

The purpose of this research was to compare the effect of two types of central stability (developed by the researcher) and mechanical spine stretching exercises on pain and movement performance of women with chronic back pain caused by disc herniation in Ilam city. The subjects included 60 women aged 40 to 50 with lumbar disc herniation, who were randomly divided into four groups of 15 including control, central stability, mechanical and combined stretching. The level of pain was assessed using a visual pain scale (VAS) and motor performance was assessed using the Planck test. Analysis of covariance test was used to examine the research variables. The results of this research showed that all three protocols have a significant effect on the pain and movement performance of patients (P=0.001). Also, there is a significant difference between the effect of central stability exercises, mechanical stretching of the spine and the combination of central stability and mechanical stretching on pain (P=0.001). According to the results of the present research, it is recommended that in addition to central stability exercises, mechanical spine stretching is also used to increase the effectiveness of reducing pain and improving performance in low back defirmities