Pilates beyond fitness: Efficacy in chronic low back pain-A single-case perspective

Abstract

Background: Lower back pain that persists for more than 12 weeks or three months after an acute low back injury or underlying cause is defined as Chronic low back pain (CLBP).Case Presentation: We report a male patient of 36 years age complaining pain at the low back region along with difficulty in walking for 7 months who had been diagnosed with Chronic low back pain. The primary outcome measures used to assess Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to assess functional disability. The patient received 15 sessions of Pilates exercise, weekly five days for 3 weeks. Result: After completion of the Pilates exercise program, the patient showed a 5.2cm improvement in the VAS and a 22-percentage improvement in the ODI. Conclusion: The patient with Chronic low back pain displayed improvement in all outcome measures. Pain and functional abilities were improved. Our observations conclude that Pilates exercise program has the ability to improve such condition.