Isolation of lumbar muscles key to chronic lower back pain therapy according to Melbourne pilot Study

A Melbourne pilot study has discovered that strengthening isolated lumbar muscles and joints can significantly reduce chronic lower back pain and improve lower back disability and function.

In the study, John Carlson (Adjunct Professor at Victoria University’s Centre for Ageing, Rehabilitation, Exercise and Sport) and Geoff MacKay (Director of Physiotherapy at Middle Park Physiotherapy) measured the impact of specific isolated lumber exercises for patients with chronic lower back pain.

Professor Carlson said the study explored a specific exercise intervention for lower back pain as an alternative to the popular general exercise approach to therapy, a research topic advocated by the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Fifty-five patients (28 males aged between 25 and 80 and 27 females aged between 26 and 73) took part in the study at Kieser Training’s Muscular Strength Therapy clinic in South Melbourne. The study will now be extended to detailed research on 300 patients.

The patients had been suffering from chronic lower back pain for an average of 18 months.

The average increase in lumbar strength was 41.1% for the males and 48.8% for the females after just twelve 30-minute exercise therapy sessions on a single Kieser lumbar machine over a period of six weeks. Improvement in pain and disability function was 46.9% and 55% respectively.

Professor Carlson said study patients were particularly pleased with their reduced levels of pain.

Research which identified that lower back pain is associated with specific muscle impairment of the deep muscles of the trunk which are responsible for the stability of the lumbar spine led to the pilot study.

The researchers claimed that many rehabilitation exercises which are intended to strengthen the lower back, actually strengthen the gluteal and hamstring muscles, and have much less effect upon strengthening the muscles of the lumbar spine.

The research method was supported by the Human Ethics Research Committee of Victoria University.

Physiotherapist Geoff MacKay is also a director of Kieser Training Centres Australia. He facilitated the study at Kieser Training centres in South Melbourne and Sydenham.

Kieser Training Centres is a fitness franchise network that specialises in preventive and medical health oriented strength training.