چكيده لاتين
Introduction : Low back pain is a major global problem that is prevalent worldwide and occurs across all age groups, from childhood to old age. Chronic low back pain is one of the most common types of pain, affecting millions of people around the world and having various causes. On the one hand, medical treatments such as surgery are costly, require long recovery periods, and have side effects. On the other hand, exercise therapy can be an accessible, low-cost, and safe treatment method. Therefore, this study examined the effect of eight weeks of selected MELT exercises on pain, balance, motor function, and quality of life in middle-aged women with non-specific chronic low back pain.
Methods : This was a semi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest design. The statistical population consisted of middle-aged women with non-specific chronic low back pain in the city of Isfahan. Thirty participants were selected as the statistical sample after medical approval, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, through convenience sampling, and were randomly assigned to an experimental group (15 participants) and a control group (15 participants). The experimental group had a mean age of 44.73 ± 3.71 years, a mean height of 160.93 ± 6.43 cm, and a mean weight of 73.36 ± 9.95 kg. The control group had a mean age of 43.93 ± 3.21 years, a mean height of 163.8 ± 6.27 cm, and a mean weight of 72.5 ± 11.01 kg. The experimental group performed a MELT exercise protocol for eight weeks, three sessions per week. The control group performed routine low back pain exercises according to the same schedule. The dependent variables of the study (pain intensity, static balance, dynamic balance, motor function, and quality of life) were assessed using the VAS questionnaire, Stork test, Y Balance test, FMS test, and SF-36 questionnaire, respectively.
Data Analysis : Descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the findings for repeated measures. Inferential statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software, version 24 (P ≤ 0.05).
Results : The results showed meaningful improvements in pain intensity (p = 0.0001), static balance (p = 0.0001), dynamic balance (p = 0.0001), motor function (p = 0.0001), and quality of life (p = 0.0001) in the experimental group compared with the control group after the MELT exercise program.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that selected MELT exercises can significantly reduce pain and improve static balance, dynamic balance, motor function, and quality of life in middle-aged women with non-specific chronic low back pain. Therefore, these exercises can be used alongside other treatment protocols and are recommended to practitioners.
