Effects of various types of bridge exercise on pain, back pain disability index and abdominal muscle thickness in patients with chronic low back pain

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of stabilization training on bridge exercise type on pain, back pain disability index and abdominal muscle thickness in patients with chronic low back pain Method: 20 patients with chronic low back pain were divided into three groups: a bridging exercise of resistance with upper limb movement, a bridging exercise on unstable surface, and a bridging exercise of general. The exercises were conducted for 30 minutes, 3 times a week (total; 24 times for 8 weeks). Pain, back pain disability index, thickness of abdominal muscles (transvers abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique) were measured before the training and at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after the intervention. Comparison of the time dependent variable for each group was calculated by Repeated measures ANOVA. Comparison among the three groups was calculated by an One-way ANOVA. Results: All three groups had significant differences in pain, back pain disability index, and abdominal muscle thickness ( p <.05). There was no significant difference between the three groups in the inter-group analysis. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that bridging exercise of resistance with upper limb movement, bridging exercise on unstable surface, and a bridging exercise of general are an effective therapy for pain, back pain disability index, thickness of abdominal muscles in patients with chronic low back pain. These results suggest that a bridging exercise of general can be effective for patients with low back pain without resistance or external factors which may be difficult to perform.