COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXERCISES ON THE “RESPINE” DEVICE WITH AND WITHOUT BREATHING EXERCISES IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of exercises performed on «Respine» device with and without the additional breathing exercises in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP). Chronic low back pain affects 23% of adults worldwide, with a recurrence rate of 24–80% per year, posing a significant healthcare challenge. The study involved 44 subjects with chronic nonspecific lower back pain, randomly assigned to two groups: a control group (n=22) receiving a standard exercise program on «Respine» device, and a study group (n=22) following the same program with additing specialized breathing exercises. The intervention lasted 6 weeks with a frequency of 4 sessions per week. Assessments were made using Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Revised Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Scale questionnaire, measurement of the number of breaths per minute, analysis of breathing track and lower rib mobility. At the end of the study, a significant reduction in pain was observed in both groups with no significant difference between them (control group: from 4.47 to 1.72; study group: from 4.55 to 2.22 on NRS scale). However, the study group showed better scores on Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Scale (down from 11.48% to 4.76%) compared to the control group (down from 26.36% to 10.1%). The study group also showed more favorable changes in respiratory parameters: increased of percentage patients breathing in the diaphragmatic track (from 40.91% to 54.55%) and a decrease in respiratory rate per minute. The results indicate that exercises on «Respine» device alone or with the additional breathing exercises lead to clinically significant reductions in lower back pain. Adding breathing exercises to a rehabilitation program using «Respine» device may provide greater functional improvement. This study demonstrated effectiveness of «Respine» device in reducing pain and breathing exercises as an additional method of improving functional status in the treatment of chronic low back pain.