The effect of pelvic clock exercises on pain reduction and lumbopelvic proprioception in middle-aged women with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP).

INTRODUCTION: Low-back pain (LBP) is one of the most common causes of disability in adults. There are many non-invasive interventions to improve this condition, of which the use of exercise therapy is one of the most widely used. But there is contradictory evidence regarding the effectiveness of different types of exercise methods. Therefore, the current research aimed to investigate the effect of pelvic clock exercises on pain reduction and lumbopelvic proprioception in women with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study with a controlled pre-test-post-test design. The study population included middle-aged women with CNSLBP with an age range of 35-50 years. A total of 30 eligible middle-aged women with CNSLBP were selected using purposive and convenience sampling. The pelvic clock exercise was carried out by the researcher in a gym for eight 45- min sessions each week (three sessions each week). A visual analog scale (VAS) and goniometer were used to measure pain and lumbopelvic proprioception, respectively. However, the control group only participated in the pre-test and post-test stages. For intra-group and inter-group comparisons, paired t-test and independent t-test were used at P < 0.05, respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that eight-week pelvic clock exercises had an effect on decreased pain and increase lumbopelvic proprioception in middle-aged women with CNSLBP, but no effect was observed in the control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the results of the present study, pelvic clock exercises should be used as a new and practical method to reduce pain and improve lumbopelvic proprioception in middle-aged women with CNSLBP.

Effects of eight-week "gyroscopic device" mediated resistance training exercise on participants with impingement syndrome or tennis elbow.

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation of injuries in the upper extremity and reestablishment of muscle strength throughout the range of motion in overhead movements, are the major concerns of athletes and coaches in the sports field. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of eight-week "gyroscopic device" mediated resistance training exercise on grip strength, wrist and shoulder strength and proprioception, and upper extremity performance, in participants with impingement syndrome or tennis elbow. DESIGN AND METHODS: For this study, in a university rehabilitation clinic 45 volleyball players (aged 22-28) purposefully were selected and divided into 3 groups: shoulder impingement (group I), tennis elbow (group II), and control (group III). The experimental groups performed the "gyroscopic device" mediated resistance training, three sessions a week over 8 wks. Grip strength, wrist and shoulder strength and proprioception, and upper extremity performance were measured before and after implementation of the intervention (eight-week resistance training using a "gyroscopic device") using a hand hold dynamometer, isokinetic dynamometer, and Y balance test respectively. RESULTS: After 8 weeks of "gyroscopic device" exercise, improvement in the shoulder, wrist and grip strength, shoulder and wrist proprioception and performance scores of both experimental groups was significant. There were no significant differences between study groups I and II, both groups, however, demonstrated significant differences when compared to the control group, but between group I and the control group, and between group II and the control group, the difference was significant. However, no significant change was seen in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the significant effects of the "gyroscopic device" mediated exercise on grip strength, wrist and shoulder strength and proprioception, and performance of the upper extremity, use of the exercise can be recommended for subjects with impingement syndrome or tennis elbow impairment in measured variables. More research is needed to confirm the result of this study.