OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of 2 exercise programs combined with electrotherapy on pain intensity and lumbar stabilizer muscles dimensions in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain. METHODS: A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed with 41 patients with chronic LBP. Participants were randomly allocated into 2 groups: an experimental group (n = 20) received stabilization exercises plus electrotherapy, and a control group (n = 21) received routine exercises plus electrotherapy. Pain intensity, using a visual analog scale, and muscle dimensions of both right and left transverse abdominis and lumbar multifidus muscles, using rehabilitative ultrasonography, were assessed before and immediately after 4 weeks of intervention. RESULTS: Significant improvement was identified after interventions on pain intensity and muscle size measurements in both groups (p < 0.01 in all instances). The only exception was the right-side lumbar multifidus cross-sectional area of the control group, which was not statistically significant (p = 0.081). No significant differences were found between the 2 exercise groups on pain intensity and muscle dimensions (p > 0.05 in all instances). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that a combination of electrotherapy with either routine or stabilization exercise programs may improve pain intensity and muscle dimensions in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain.
Reprinted from the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics with copyright permission from the National University of Health Sciences.

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