Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

A Wide Variety of Exercise Programs Improve Pain and Disability in Chronic Low Back Pain Populations

Copyright: © 2019  . This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Background: LBP has an ongoing prevalence of 60-85% globally. CLPB patients display poor trunk muscular
endurance and decreased proprioception and spinal stability. Based on the pathology of CLBP, it has been proposed
that exercise training of the lumbar spine will improve clinical outcomes in these patients. There is still much debate
around what type of exercise is most beneficial for patients with CLBP.
Methods: The PubMed database was searched on August 8, 2016 to identify studies relevant to this review. The
database search combined terms from three themes: 1) LBP patients 2) exercise programs and 3) pain or function.
This search yielded 197 articles for screening, with no duplicates. Abstract screening yielded 70 articles that potentially
met the inclusion criteria. A total of 24 articles were included in the final review.
Results: Core stabilization and strengthening programs as well as general exercise programs improve clinical
outcomes in chronic low back pain patients without evidence of lumbar disc degeneration. Core stabilizing and
strengthening exercises are more effective at increasing lumbar stability than general exercises. The CORE and
Godelieve Denys-Struyf programs, McKenzie protocol, Back School method, motor control, and graded activity
programs, as well as yoga, general exercise, stretching, Pilates, Tai Chi, pedometer driven walking, high intensity
aerobic exercise, resistance exercise training, and sling exercise training can improve pain and disability in chronic
low back pain populations.
Conclusion: A wide variety of exercise therapies have been demonstrated to effectively improve pain and disability
in chronic low back pain populations. Exercise therapy should be part of routine management of chronic low back pain.
Exercise prescription should be tailored to each individual patient’s lifestyle and preferences to enhance compliance.

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