Group Hydrotherapy Treatment for Athletes With Lower Back Pain

Low back pain is a common issue in Western society, especially among athletes who experience significant physical stress. One effective conservative treatment method is hydrotherapy, which involves exercising in water. This approach takes advantage of water's properties, such as buoyancy, weight reduction, and resistance. By using these properties, individuals can perform movements and exercises that may be painful or difficult to do on land.

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of group hydrotherapy on chronic low back pain and function among athletes.

The study will involve participants with chronic back pain who will complete a 6-week intervention program led by a certified physiotherapist, including hydrotherapy treatment and guidance for independent exercises.

The exercise will include reduced-weight activities at waist-to-neck depth, resistance exercises at varying depths, and the utilization of buoyancy and resistance devices.

The evaluation indicators will be taken before and after the intervention period and will include: a demographic questionnaire, history of back pain and anthropometric details (height, weight), Oswestry questionnaire to assess function following back pain, a visual analog scale to assess the maximum degree of pain during the day, hip range tests, a forward flexion distance test, and a back alignment test. At the end of the intervention, a global rating of scale questionnaire will also be taken to assess the effectiveness of the improvement.

Inclusion criteria

• Athletes who complain of low back pain for over 3 months,
• VAS>3
• train more than 5 times a week.

Exclusion criteria

• acute back pain
• neurological signs (decreased muscle strength, decreased reflexes, radiating to the leg).