Effect Of Isometric Exercises Using An Active Therapeutic Movement Device For Patients With Acute Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of isometric exercise, utilizing ATM®2, on patients with acute low back pain (LBP), differentiating between flexion and extension types.

Methods: The study included twenty participants (age 39.7±8.0 years, 12 males / 8 females) experiencing acute LBP for less than four weeks. Participants were categorized based on the direction of pain-inducing movements, distinguishing between flexion and extension types. Subsequently, both types were randomly assigned to two groups: the ATM®2 exercise group and the usual care group. Each group received treatment three times a week for two weeks, amounting to six sessions.

Results: In cases of extension-type LBP, the ATM®2 exercise group exhibited a significant immediate decrease in pain (p=0.04). Over the course of two weeks, both the ATM®2 group and the usual care group showed significant pain reduction (p=0.01, p=0.001). In flexion-type LBP, both the ATM®2 exercise group and the usual care group experienced significant pain reduction (p=0.001, p=0.03) during the two-week intervention. However, neither group demonstrated an immediate effect.

Conclusion: Isometric exercise with ATM®2 may offer immediate and short-term relief for acute LBP, with more pronounced effects in patients with an extension-type pattern. ATM®2 exercises have the potential to alleviate acute LBP. Furthermore, it is a topic for future research to investigate whether this pain reduction influence persists into the natural course of chronic LBP