Effect of Interventions for Improving Lumbar Motor Control on Low Back Pain in Sedentary Office Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the effect of intervention with dynamic motor control exercise (DMCE) for the lumbar region on low back pain in sedentary office workers (SOWs). METHODS: The participants comprised 32 SOWs with low back pain who were randomly categorized into two groups: the DMCE group and the normal trunk exercise (NTE) group. Both groups performed each exercise for three days per week for 8 weeks. The primary endpoints were evaluated for the lumbar and hip flexion angles during trunk forward bending, effect of low back pain on activities of daily living (using the Oswestry Disability Index), and intensity of low back pain (using the Visual Analog Scale) pre- and post-intervention. The extent of changes was calculated by subtracting the pre-intervention value from the post-intervention value and was compared between the two groups using an unpaired t-test. RESULTS: The extent of changes in the lumbar flexion and hip flexion angles at 10° of trunk forward bending were significantly greater in the DMCE group than in the NTE group, and no significant differences were noted between the two groups at other angles of trunk forward bending. The extent of changes in the Oswestry Disability Index and the Visual Analog Scale scores were significantly greater in the DMCE group than in the NTE group. CONCLUSION: DMCE is effective in improving motor control in the lumbar region and hip joints, thereby ameliorating low back pain in SOWs.