Effects of triple-treatment trunk stretching on physical fitness and curvature of the spine

BACKGROUND: Research on the effectiveness of treatment for low back disorders has been made, however yet no established method has been found. Therefore, we devised a triple-treatment trunk stretching program comprising the following three trunk stretching exercises: stretching using an unstable flex chair; stretching using a stretching bench; and stretching using a stretch pad. Our three-treatment trunk stretching program is based on the principles of static muscular stabilization of the spine and uses well-known physiological strength-training principles. In this study, we investigated the effects of triple-treatment trunk stretching on physical fitness levels and curvature of the spine measured by X-ray photographs. METHODS: Thirteen healthy male subjects (mean age, 26.3 ± 4.0 years; height, 173.5 ± 4.9 cm; weight, 64.9 ± 5.7 kg; BMI 21.6 ± 1.7) were enrolled in this study. In consideration of safety and simplicity, we applied the physical fitness test introduced by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan for 65- to 79-year-olds. RESULTS: Triple-treatment trunk stretching led to significant improvements in sit-and-reach flexibility, 10-m obstacle course walking time, standing forward flexion, thoracolumbar extension and horizontal flexion. Significant improvements were also observed in the neutral angle of the curvature of the lower thoracic spine and the neutral angle of the curvature of the lower lumbar spine. CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvements were evident in the neutral angles of both the curvature of the lower thoracic spine and the curvature of the lower lumbar spine after triple-treatment trunk stretching. This suggests that triple-treatment trunk stretching can help improve the curvature of the spine and physical fitness.