The Effects on Muscle Strength and Visual Analog Scale Pain of Aquatic Therapy for individuals with Low Back Pain

[Purpose]The purpose of this study was to investigate whether ten weeks of aquatic therapy exercise would increase low back muscle strength and reduce low back pain in 19 elderly subjects. [Subjects]Nineteen low back disorder patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: an aquatic therapy exercise group (n=9), and a control group (n=10). [Methods]The aquatic therapy group participated five times a week for ten weeks in an aquatic exercise designed to strengthen the low back muscles. Data collection was done using a Cybex-770 system. [Results]The results show that the aquatic exercise significantly reduced visual analog scale pain by 52.1%. Significant improvements in low back muscle strength were found in the aquatic therapy group on peak torque of flexor in 180°/sec by 48.31% and on peak torque of extensor in 180°/sec by 152.85%. [Conclusion]Based on the results, we conclude that the ten weeks of aquatic therapy exercise can enhance low back muscle strength and reduce low back pain in elderly women.