Purpose: Non-specific low back pain is defined as symptoms occurring in the lumbar region without nerve root compression or underlying serious condition. The incidence of it is increasing with aging. Although the changes of the 'core' area are indicated in non-specific low back pain patients, the relationship between the core endurance and pain is not known in elderly individuals with non-specific low back pain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 'core' endurance and pain in elderly individuals with non-specific low back pain.
Material and Methods: Twenty five (16 female, 9 male) elderly people with non-specific low back pain above sixty-five was included in the study. The 'core' endurance of the participants was evaluated with the Bridge Test (BT). Pain severity was assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The threshold and tolerance of pain were measured by electronic algometry. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences, Chicago, USA). The relationship between the results was analyzed by Spearman Correlation Coefficient.
Results: The median age of the participants was 67.00 years. There was a strong and positive relationship between the duration of BT and pain threshold (r = 0.782, p <0.001) and pain tolerance (r = 0.748, p <0.001). There was no statistically significant relationship between VAS score and duration of BT (p> 0.05).
Conclusion: In the study, a strong relationship was found between 'core' endurance and pain threshold-tolerance in elderly individuals with non-specific low back pain. There is a need for studies involving more participants examining the relationship between ‘core’ endurance and pain in patients with non-specific low back pain.
Keywords: Non-specific low back pain, elderly, Core endurance
|