The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of lumbar stabilization exercises using balls to the effects of general lumbar stabilization exercises with respect to changes in the cross section of the multifidus (MF) weight bearing pain and functional disorders in patients with TOK-001 non-specific chronic low back pain. weight bearing from 9.25% to 5.83% in the experimental group and from 9.33% to 4.25% in the control Rabbit Polyclonal to RAB38. group (p < 0.05) but did not differ significantly between the two groups. These results suggests that stabilization exercises using ball can increases in the CSA TOK-001 of the MF segments improvement in weight bearing pain relief and recovery from functional disorders and the increases in the CSA of the MF of the L4 and L5 segments for patients with low back pain. Key Points TOK-001 Compared with the stabilization exercise using a ball and general stabilization exercise increased the CSA of the MF weight bearing pain and functional ability in patients with low back pain. We verified that increases in the CSA of the MF of the L4 and L5 segments and functional ability during the stabilization exercise using a ball. The stabilization exercise using a ball was shown to be an effective exercise method for patients with low back pain in a rehabilitation program by increasing functional ability and the CSA of the MF. Key words: Stabilization TOK-001 exercise ball multifidus cross-sectional area low back pain Introduction Low back pain is the most representative musculoskeletal system disorder (Chung et al. 2013 Kwon et al. 2011 Although this disorder can be remedied without any particular treatment chronic low back pain that persists for three months or longer occurs in approximately 5~10% of the patients and becomes a major cause that restricts productive lifestyle activities (Borenstein 1996 Watson et al. 2000 Low back pain patients use movement strategies that differ from those of healthy persons (Grabiner et al. 1992 because the onset time of their multifidus (MF) and transverse abdominus (TrA) which are deep muscles are delayed and their ability to mobilize these muscles is reduced (Hodges and Richardson 1999 In addition chronic low back patients frequently show poor balance control (Harding et al. 1994 because they sway backward to maintain their center of force (COF) when they balance themselves (Byl and Sinnott 1991 Therefore low back pain patients are instructed to perform exercises that vary in method and intensity in order to improve or maintain their muscle strength and improve balance (Cairns et al. 2006 Goldby et al. 2006 Kofotolis and Kellis 2006 Recently stabilization exercises that focus on core strengthening mobility control and muscle control have become a very important treatment method for low back pain (MacDonald TOK-001 et al. 2006 Richardson et al. 2002 These exercises can improve the functions of the nervous and the muscular systems and thereby control and protect the spine. In practice these exercises enhance control over the lumbar spine and the pelvis (Hodges 2003 and can be performed in diverse body positions using the co-contraction of the abdominal and MF muscles (Andrusaitis et al. 2011 The purpose of stabilization exercises is to improve the activation patterns of trunk muscles in order to relieve lumbar pain and incapacity through trunk muscle contraction (Goldby et al. 2006 Kavcic et al. 2004 Unstable training devices such as balls can be used to increase the difficulty of exercises employing diverse body weight and free-weight resistance (Anderson and Behm 2005 Exercises that use balls use all regions of the body so that more extensive activities can occur than with exercises performed on fixed floors. The use of balls therefore can improve the dynamic balance ability the flexibility and stability of the spine and the sense of balance as ways to prevent damage (Marshall and Murphy 2005 Marshall and Murphy 2006 reported that a 12 week regimen of spinal stabilization exercises using balls by low back pain patients brought about pain relief and decreases in flexion-relaxation disorders as well as improvements in the ability to control balance through the strengthening of the MF muscle which plays an important role in spinal stability. However other previous studies TOK-001 reported that spinal motions did not change and revealed no increase in trunk muscle activity during core stability exercises on unstable surfaces (Drake et al. 2006 Freeman et al. 2006 Wahl and Behm 2008 Although ball exercises are used for diverse purposes such as balance control and muscle strengthening the.