The effects of lumbar stabilization exercises with and without jaw movements in non-specific low back pain (A randomized controlled trial)

TL;DR

This study found that adding jaw clenching to lumbar stabilization exercises improved outcomes for chronic low back pain, especially in younger adults.

Contribution

The study introduces jaw clenching as an enhancement to lumbar stabilization exercises for low back pain management.

Findings

Both groups showed significant improvements in pain, disability, and muscle endurance.

The LSETC group had higher improvements in pain, disability, and endurance compared to the LSE group.

Younger participants (20-30 years) in the LSETC group showed significantly better outcomes after 12 weeks.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the added effect of jaw clenching on the efficacy of lumbar stabilization exercises to manage chronic non-specific low back pain.

This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (SIPM&R) Karachi from April 2021 to April 2023. Eighty patients with chronic non-specific low back pain participated in this study. Forty patients each were randomly allocated to the lumbar stability exercise (LSE) group’ and the lumbar stability exercise with teeth clenching (LSETC) group. Patients in both groups performed respective exercises twice weekly for 12 weeks. The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and Pressure Biofeedback Unit (PBU) were used to assess pain, disability, and muscle endurance respectively. Data were collected at the baseline, after six weeks and 12 weeks of intervention. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in pain, disability, and muscle endurance. Upon further stratification, participants aged 20-30 years in the LSETC group showed significantly higher scores than the LSE group for NPRS, RMDQ, and PBU after 12 weeks. Overall, the LSETC group showed relatively higher improvement in mean scores for NPRS, RMDQ, and PBU than the LSE group.

Lumbar stabilization exercises with and without jaw movement are effective for the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain. The addition of teeth clenching enhanced the effectiveness of lumbar stability exercises, especially in young adults.

Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04801212), Prospectively registered on March 16, 2021.

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