Effects and limitations of home-based motor-control exercise for chronic low back pain: A single center prospective study

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective single-center observational study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects and limitations of self-motor-control exercise in patients with chronic low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although exercise therapy and physical therapy have been shown to be effective in treating chronic low back pain, these therapies are often discontinued due to patients’ non-compliance, and their effectiveness cannot be fully demonstrated. METHODS: Fifteen patients with low back pain, no apparent organic disease, who had been symptomatic for at least three months, and could continue motor-control exercise at home for at least six months were included in the study. Low back pain (visual analog scale [VAS]), locomotor 25, stand-up test, two-step test, trunk and total body muscle mass by the impedance method, and spinal sagittal alignment were examined before the intervention to establish a baseline, and at two and six months after the intervention. RESULT: Significant improvement was observed in the back pain VAS (p<0.01), stand-up test (p = 0.03), two-step test (p = 0.01), and locomotor 25 (p = 0.04) before and after the intervention. In contrast, there were no significant changes in muscle mass and sagittal alignment. The effect of long-term exercise was more pronounced in patients without spinal deformity. CONCLUSIONS: Self-exercise for patients with chronic low back pain was effective in improving pain and function, although it did not directly affect muscle mass or alignment. Moreover, strength training of the lumbar back muscles alone was not found to be effective in patients with spinal deformities.