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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Nov 13;56(11):610.
doi: 10.3390/medicina56110610.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of Equine Simulator Riding on Low Back Pain, Morphological Changes, and Trunk Musculature in Elderly Women

Sihwa Park  1 , Sunhee Park  1 , Sukyung Min  1 , Chang-Ju Kim  2 , Yong-Seok Jee  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of Equine Simulator Riding on Low Back Pain, Morphological Changes, and Trunk Musculature in Elderly Women

Sihwa Park et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Background and objectives: Studies on the effects of an equine riding simulator (ERS) program on back pain, spinal alignment, and isokinetic moments in subjects with chronic low back pain (CLBP) remain limited. The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in elderly women with CLBP who participate in an ERS program. Materials and Methods: The 80 participants were all women aged 61-84 years who were randomly assigned to either the control group (CON) or ERS group (ERSG). ERS exercise was performed for a duration of 12 weeks (three times each week). The degree of pain was measured using the Oswestry Disability Index and the visual analog scale. Body composition and spinal alignment were measured using bioelectrical impedance and raster stereography. The isokinetic moments of trunk extensor and flexor were measured before and after the training period. Results: The ERSG showed a significant decrease in back pain compared to the CON. There was a significant decrease in levels of fat in the ERSG, although no differences were shown in terms of muscle mass. However, there was an increased basal metabolic rate (BMR) in the ERSG. Spinal alignment in the ERSG significantly improved. The peak torques of the trunk extensor in the ERSG were also significantly increased. Conclusion: It can be inferred that the ERS exercise can decrease fat and improve the trunk extensor strength through increased BMR, leading to better spinal alignment and reducing back pain in elderly women with CLBP.

Keywords: back pain; elderly women; equine riding simulator; isokinetic moment; spinal alignment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Raster stereographic analysis of spinal alignment. (A) Trunk imbalance, which was calculated by vertebra prominent (VP), dimple midpoint (DM), dimple left (DL), and dimple right (DR). (B) Trunk inclination. (C) Pelvic tilt and torsion (error of axis), which could calculate the surface rotation and lateral deviation. (D) Kyphotic angle between VP and the inflectional point (ITL) and the lordotic angle between ITL and DM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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