The Effectiveness of Core Stability Exercise in the Management of Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain

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Chronic Low Back Pain

Low back pain is an extremely common patient complaint with approximately 80% of the World population developing low back pain at some point (Deyo 2001). It is the main cause of years lived with disability (Vos 2012). It is among 10 of the leading reasons for patient visits to medical facilities. (Patel 2000). Most cases resolve fairly quickly, but a significant number of patients develop chronic Lower Back Pain. Patients experience unremitting pain and often become functionally impaired. Chronic LBP represents a greater financial burden in the form of direct costs resulting from loss of work and medical expenses, as well as indirect costs (Dagenais 2008). Most patients on disability for more than 6 months will not return to work. The number of patients returning to work approaches zero at 2 years (Anderson 1997).

Mechanical disorders are the cause in 90% of cases with the remaining 10% of cases being due to manifestation of systemic illness (Nachemson, 1976). Despite the large number of pathological conditions that give rise to low back pain cases 85% are without patho-anotomical or radiological abnormalities (Deyo 2001). Most episodes of low back pain resolve quickly and are not incapacitating, nonetheless pain and disability are often ongoing and recurrences are common (Pengel 2003). It is estimated 10% to 20% of effected adults develop symptoms of chronic low back.

Generally there is a scarcity of information on the prevalence and incidence of CLBP, partly due to lack of agreement about it’s definition. Chronic low back pain is mostly defined as persistent pain occurring on most days and lasting longer than 3 months (Maher 2004;Von Korff 1996; Waddell 2004) Others also define it as pain exceeding normal healing times and frequently reoccurring back pain over long periods. Acute and chronic LBP warrant separate consideration as they may respond differently to the same interventions. (Sierpina 2002; van Tulder 1999)

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