The Effect of 12-Week Aquatic Exercises on Core Stability of Women With Low Back Pain

Purpose: The current study investigated the effect of an aquatic training program on balance in women with low back pain.  Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test and control group design. The study population included all patients with low back pain who referred to orthopedics s offices. In total, 30 women suffering from back pain were purposefully and voluntarily selected; then, randomly divided into two experimental (15 patients) and control (15 patients) groups. The subjects of the aquatic exercise group received a 12-week aquatic exercise program of 3 sessions per week for 60 minutes. The control group received no physical activity program. At the beginning and end of the experimental period, the patients’ balance was assessed using Berg Balance Scale. The obtained data were analyzed using t-test and the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at the significance level of P<0.05, by SPSS.  Results: We observed a statistically significant improvement in the scores of the experimental group, compared to the control group prior period balance (P<0.05). However, no significant change was observed in the controls (P≥0.05). Compared with the control group, the experimental group scores significantly increased after receiving the twelve weeks of aquatic treatment (P<0.05).  Conclusion: The obtained results suggested that aquatic exercise therapy can be a useful treatment method to improve balance and subsequently improve the daily performance of patients.