Comparison of the effect of exercise on stable surface versus unstable surface on cross section area of lumbar multifidus muscle and thickness of abdominal muscle in patients with chronic low back pain

Objective: The aims of this study were, comparison the effects of core stability exercises performed on a stable or unstable surface on the thickness of abdominal and lumbar multifidus muscle in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. Method Thirty-four patients were randomly assigned to an unstable or stable surface group (n = 17 each). Both groups did five core stability exercises for 6 weeks (three times per week). the thickness of the core muscle was evaluated pre and post-treatment. Results After 6 weeks of training, in both groups, all variables improve. internal oblique muscle thickness and transversus abdominis thickness in the unstable surface group improved significantly more than those in the stable surface group (p <0.05). Conclusion Our findings indicate exercise on an unstable surface more effective in improving the core muscle thickness relative to stable surface in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. However, extra studies are required to support our findings.