The influence of Pilates reformer exercises on non-specific lumbar pain
Keywords:
Alleviation of pain, body mechanics, reformer, strengthening the coreAbstract
This study aims to determine the impact of basic Pilates exercises performed on Reformer machines to alleviate lumbar pain. The term lumbar pain implies different forms of pain in the lower back region, i.e., Low Back Pain (LBP), which can be caused by various mostly undetected factors and across all generations and gender groups. The research was conducted on a sample of 53 women aged 42.5 ± 8.1, divided into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group consisted of 32 women aged 41.5 ± 8.1, while the control group included 21 women aged 44.2 ± 7.9. The selection of exercises focused on strengthening the core muscles, concerning breathing techniques and body mechanics, is classified as beginner level, both in terms of intensity and complexity. The Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire (OLBPQ) was utilized to assess functional status and individual disability related to LBP before and after the experiment. Within the experimental group, Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests demonstrated statistically significant reductions in mean rank scores from pre‐ to post‐intervention for every item (for example, Q3: MRpre = 24.70 vs. MRpost = 21.26; Z = –3.77; p < 0.001) and for the overall Oswestry Disability Index (MRpre = 26.78 vs. MRpost = 22.82; Z = –4.47; p < 0.001), indicating a marked improvement in functional status following the eight‐week Pilates reformer program. A series of controlled exercises, in conjunction with a meticulously guided procedure for performing Pilates exercises on the reformer machines through core muscle strengthening, breathing techniques, and body mechanics, have been demonstrated to alleviate non-specific lumbar pain.
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