Pilates Mat Versus Segmental Control Exercises In Patients With Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common musculoskeletal condition and constitutes a global public health problem. The majority of patients (up to 90%) are categorized as having nonspecific low back pain, which is described as symptoms lack of clear particular reasons, i.e., beginning of low back pain is not known. Many clinical guidelines and systematic reviews have recommended exercise therapy as one of the preferred treatments at decreasing pain and improving function in NSLBP. In the last decade, the Pilates method has become one of the most popular exercise programmes incorporated in clinical practice. Therapeutic exercises, specifically Segmental control exercises, decrease pain, reduce disability, improve quality of life, increase muscular endurance and strength, improve segmental stability, and reduce risk of injury. Studies have shown that both segmental control exercises and Pilate's exercises are effective in the management of pain and disability in individuals with Chronic LBP. However, it appears there is dearth of empirical data establishing which is more effective between the segmental control exercises and Pilates exercises on individuals with non-specific chronic low back pain. Thus, there exist certain gaps involving the two therapeutic techniques. Therefore, this study sought to determine the effect of Pilates exercises versus segmental control exercises on spinopelvic angles, pain intensity, and functional disability in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain.

Inclusion criteria

• Age group: 18 to 65 years. (Yentür et al., 2021)
• Both male and female gender will be included in the study. (Akhtar et al., 2017)
• Nonspecific, non-radicular (axial) chronic LBP diagnosis with hyperlordosis (LBP for at least three months). (Kızıltaş et al., 2022)
• Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score of 3 or higher. (Mannion et al., 2009)

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with acute attacks of LBP. (Caglayan et al.,2014)
• Pain referred from the lumbar to the lower extremities.
• Serious spinal disorder including malignancy, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, cauda equina compression, and infection.
• Fracture of vertebrae, and administered epidural injection. (Sarker et al., 2020)
• Pregnancy and feeding
• Structural abnormalities in the lumbar region
• Surgical history in the lumbar spine area
• Heart disease. (Kızıltaş et al., 2022)
• History of Vestibular dysfunction
• Regular Pilates/any other specific exercise program in the last 3 months. (Mehta et al.,2022)