Objectives: This study examined how women with low back pain (LBP) responded to comprehensive physical exercises (CPEs) combined with cognitive functional therapy (CFT) in terms of pain, disability and postural sway (PS).
Methods: A total of 45 women with non-specific chronic LBP (NSCLBP) participated in this quasi-experimental study. The participants were randomly assigned to the CPEs, CPEs combined with CFT and control group (CG) (15 participants per group). The McGill pain questionnaire, Roland-Morris disability questionnaire, and Zebris platform were used to assess pain, disability and PS in anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions with eyes open and closed. For eight weeks, the participants engaged in both CPEs and CPEs combined with CFT. The CG continued their usual routine. The multivariate analysis of variance statistical test with repeated measures design was used to analyze the data (P<0.05).
Results: The results revealed that after eight weeks, the patient’s pain and disability significantly decreased in both intervention groups compared to the CG (P<0.001). The CPEs combined with CFT (P<0.001) and the CPEs group (P<0.001) compared to the CG showed a significant decline in AP sways with eyes open. The AP with EC and ML with eyes open demonstrated a significant reduction in the CPEs group with CFT versus the CPEs and CG (P<0.05). The ML oscillations with eyes closed revealed a significant reduction in the CPEs group compared to the CG (P=0.005).
Discussion: The CPEs combined with the CFT group showed better results in postural control ability, especially when the eyes were closed which may be a consequence of CFT. Therefore, it is recommended to use CPEs combined with CFT to reduce pain, disability and PS in women with NSCLBP.