Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jun;12(3):490-502.
doi: 10.4184/asj.2018.12.3.490. Epub 2018 Jun 4.

The Role of a Multi-Step Core Stability Exercise Program in the Treatment of Nurses with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Pardis Noormohammadpour  1   2 , Mahla Kordi  1   3 , Mohammad Ali Mansournia  4 , Maryam Akbari-Fakhrabadi  1 , Ramin Kordi  1   2   3
Affiliations

The Role of a Multi-Step Core Stability Exercise Program in the Treatment of Nurses with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Pardis Noormohammadpour et al. Asian Spine J. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Study design: Single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of a multi-step core stability exercise program in nurses with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Overview of literature: CLBP is a common disorder among nurses. Considering that patient-handling activities predispose nurses to CLBP, core stability exercises suggested for managing CLBP in the general population may also be helpful in nurses. However, sufficient evidence is not available on whether a multi-step core stability exercise program affects pain, disability, quality of life, and the diameter of lateral abdominal muscles in nurses with CLBP.

Methods: In this single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 36 female nurses with CLBP were recruited. The sample was divided into two groups of 18 patients (intervention and control). Nurses in the intervention group performed core stability exercises for 8 weeks, based on a progressive pattern over time. Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), quality of life (36-item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36]), ultrasound assessment of the diameter of lateral abdominal muscles, and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for pain were evaluated in the participants before and after the trial. Sixteen nurses (eight from each group) dropped out of the study, and analysis of covariance was used to compare outcomes for the remaining nurses in the intervention (10 nurses) and control (10 nurses) groups.

Results: The results after the trial showed significant improvements in RDQ, SF-36, and VAS score in the intervention group compared with that in the control group (p <0.005). Furthermore, the ultrasound data showed a significant increase in the left and right muscle diameter of all three abdominal muscles during the abdominal drawing-in maneuver in the intervention group compared with that in the control group (p <0.05).

Conclusions: This study showed that a multi-step core stability exercise program is a helpful treatment option for improving quality of life and reducing disability and pain in female nurses with CLBP.

Keywords: Exercise therapy; Low back pain; Nurses; Quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Flow diagram of the progress through the phases of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hoy D, Brooks P, Blyth F, Buchbinder R. The epidemiology of low back pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010;24:769–81. - PubMed
    1. Noormohammadpour P, Mansournia MA, Asadi-Lari M, Nourian R, Rostami M, Kordi R. A subtle threat to urban populations in developing countries: low back pain and its related risk factors. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2016;41:618–27. - PubMed
    1. Vos T, Flaxman AD, Naghavi M, et al. Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2163–96. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dagenais S, Caro J, Haldeman S. A systematic review of low back pain cost of illness studies in the United States and internationally. Spine J. 2008;8:8–20. - PubMed
    1. Itz CJ, Geurts JW, van Kleef M, Nelemans P. Clinical course of non-specific low back pain: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies set in primary care. Eur J Pain. 2013;17:5–15. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources