Acute Effects of Whole-Body Electrostimulation Combined with Stretching on Lower Back Pain
Int J Sports Med DOI: 10.1055/a-2080-2018Data from recent studies suggest that whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS)
is a time-effective and tailored intervention for chronic lower back pain
(CLBP). The aim of this non-randomized controlled study was to compare the
efficacy of a WB-EMS training and the association between WB-EMS specific
training with passive stretching (Well Back System, [WBS]) on CLBP. Forty
patients with CLBP, 43–81 years old, were assigned to one of the two
groups: WB-EMS (n=20) and WB-EMS+WBS (n=20). Both groups
completed 12 sessions (8 weeks) of the WB-EMS protocol
(2×20 minutes/week). The second group performed
core-specific exercises with WB-EMS plus 6 extra stretching sessions
(30 minutes each). Primary study endpoints were based on changes on the
visual analogue scale (VAS) and changes on the Oswestry Low Back Disability
Questionnaire (ODI). Secondary study endpoints were percentage changes of
maximum trunk flexion (Sit & Reach, [SR]) and changes in consumption of
painkillers. Both interventions significantly improved VAS, ODI, and SR values
(p range: 0.04;<0.001). However, the change of VAS
(–46% vs. –17%, p<0.001), ODI
(–53% vs. –17%, p<0.001), and SR
(+ 7 vs.+3 cm, p=0.001) were
significantly higher in the WB-EMS+WBS group...
Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Silvestri, Adriano Ruscello, Bruno Rosazza, Cristina Briotti, Gianluca Gabrielli, Paolo Roberto Tudisco, Cosimo D'Ottavio, Stefano Tags: Training & Testing Source Type: research
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