Effects of combined hip exercise and passive stretching on muscle stiffness, pain perception and painrelated disability, and physical function in older adults with low back pain

[PURPOSE]: This study aimed to examine the effects of combined hip exercise and passive stretching as a novel treatment method for low back pain (LBP) in older adults. [METHODS]: Altogether, 20 Koreans with LBP aged 60–79 years (67.3 ± 5.92 years) were randomly assigned to undertake combined exercise (CE; n = 10) or lumbar stabilization exercise (LSE; n = 10). All participants performed their respective exercise program for 25–30 min with an OMNI scale of 6–8 for 8 weeks, three times a week. Body composition, muscle stiffness, pain-visual analog scale (P-VAS), Oswestry disability index, and physical function were evaluated before and after the exercise intervention. [RESULTS]: The CE group demonstrated greater improvements in lean body mass (η(2) = 0.402, p = 0.003) and percent body fat (η(2) = 0.222, p = 0.036) than the LSE group. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in muscle stiffness, P-VAS scores, and Oswestry disability index scores, although no significant differences were observed between the interventions. All physical function parameters demonstrated a significant improvement in both groups, and the CE group demonstrated greater improvement in the YMCA sit-and-reach (η(2) = 0.338, p = 0.007) and straight leg raise tests (η(2) = 0.283, p = 0.016) than the LSE group. [CONCLUSION]: CE is comparable to LSE as an effective and successful exercise intervention that reduces muscle stiffness and P-VAS scores. Moreover, CE is more effective than LSE in enhancing the physical function of older adults with LBP.