This article describes the effects of adding Pilates to a treatment routine for patients with non-specific low back pain. Currently, researchers agree therapy is effective in treating lower back pain, but there is scanty information about other physical exercise interventions such as Pilates. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of Pilates, as a form of physical intervention to ease pain and make better the life of patients who suffer from chronic lower back pain.
A randomized control trial was carried out in a sample of sixty patients who had been determined to suffer from chronic lower back pain. The patients were divided into two groups (Natour et.al, 2015). The experimental group continued medication treatment coupled with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and Pilates. The control group continued with the medication treatment with the use of NSAID and did not undertake any other therapeutic intervention. The follow-up duration for the experiment was 180 days (Natour et.al, 2015). To qualify for the study, participants had to be diagnosed with chronic lower back pain without the presence of other long-term illness such as cancer, spinal stenosis, or any other spinal injuries. Patients were randomized using an electronically generated randomized table to ensure the process was fair.
The independent variables were the medication treatment and Pilates. The dependent variables were divided into two major categories: primary and secondary parameters. The primary parameter was the measure of pain, while the secondary parameters were function, quality of life, satisfaction with treatment, flexibility, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) intake (Natour et.al, 2015). An ANOVA test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between the groups at different time stumps, for α=0.05. A 95% confidence interval was used to determine the effective size and to test for statistical significance between the groups with ANOVA (Natour et.al, 2015). The study showed that the Pilates method relieves chronic back pain and can improve the life quality of the patients.
Reference
Natour, J., Cazotti, L. D. A., Ribeiro, L. H., Baptista, A. S., & Jones, A. (2015). Pilates improves pain, function, and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 29(1), 59-68.