Egoscue and Core Stabilization for Chronic Low Back Pain

Overview

Chronic low back pain is a widespread musculoskeletal condition that limits mobility and affects quality of life. It is often caused due to the poor posture, hyperlordosis and weak core muscles. This randomized clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of egoscue based postural correction combined with core stabilization exercises compared to core stabilization exercises alone in managing chronic low back pain. The primary outcomes measures includes numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), disability (Oswestry Disability Index), while secondary outcomes includes range of motion (Inclinometer), and posture (flexicurve Ruler).

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a highly prevalent musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain and discomfort in the lumbar region. It significantly affects functional activities, posture, mobility, and quality of life. Persistent low back pain may lead to muscle weakness, reduced spinal stability, limited range of motion, and increased disability in daily activities. Poor posture, especially lumbar hyperlordosis, is considered one of the contributing biomechanical factors associated with chronic low back pain. Core stabilization exercises are widely used in physiotherapy rehabilitation for chronic low back pain. Improvement in core muscle activation helps enhance spinal stability, reduce mechanical stress on the lumbar spine, improve functional performance, and decrease pain intensity. Egoscue-based postural correction exercises are designed to improve body alignment, muscle balance, and postural symmetry through a sequence of therapeutic exercises. These exercises focus on correcting abnormal posture, restoring muscular balance, and improving movement patterns. Although both core stabilization exercises and Egoscue-based postural correction exercises have individually shown beneficial effects in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, there is limited evidence regarding their combined effectiveness in patients with chronic low back pain associated with lumbar hyperlordosis. Therefore, this randomized clinical trial aims to compare Egoscue-based postural correction combined with core stabilization exercises versus core stabilization exercises alone in patients with chronic low back pain. Pain intensity will be measured using the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), and functional disability Urdu Version of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Secondary outcomes will include lumbar range of motion measured by inclinometer and posture/lumbar lordosis assessed by the Flexicurve ruler. The findings of this study may provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of combining Egoscue-based postural correction with core stabilization exercises for improving pain, disability, posture, and spinal mobility in patients with chronic low back pain.