{"title":"Effectiveness of Proprioceptive Training on Postural Stability and Chronic Pain in Older Women with Osteoporosis: A Six-Month Prospective Pilot Study.","authors":"Katya Mollova, Steliyana Valeva, Nazife Bekir, Pavlina Teneva, Kaloyan Varlyakov","doi":"10.3390/jfmk10030316","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background</b>: Osteoporosis is the most prevalent metabolic bone disease, characterized by decreased bone mineral density, which leads to increased bone fragility, back pain, impaired postural stability, and a heightened risk of fractures. Proprioceptive exercises have been identified as an effective approach for reducing the risk of falls and adverse events. <b>Objective</b>: Our aim was to conduct a pilot exploratory study evaluating the effectiveness of proprioceptive training in improving coordination and balance, and in reducing chronic thoracolumbar back pain in older women diagnosed with osteoporosis. <b>Methods</b>: Quantitative ultrasound bone densitometry was performed on 144 women over the age of 60, followed by the implementation of a proprioceptive training program. The One-Leg Stance balance test and the Visual Analog Scale for pain intensity were administered before and after a six-month training intervention. <b>Results</b>: ANOVA revealed significant improvements in balance, with the OLS duration increasing from 2.49 s at baseline to 7.31 s following the intervention. Participants aged over 70 years demonstrated a positive, though comparatively lower increase in stability and balance. Chi-squared (χ<sup>2</sup>) analysis indicated that 83.9% of the variance in OLS performance was attributable to proprioceptive training (Cramer's V = 0.839, <i>p</i> = 0.001). A significant reduction in VAS pain scores was observed, with 48.1% of the variance explained by the moderate effect of proprioceptive training (Cramer's V = 0.481, <i>p</i> = 0.001). <b>Conclusions</b>: Proprioceptive training has the potential to improve postural stability, balance, and coordination and stimulate pain intensity in the thoracolumbar region. Despite promising results, the absence of a control group limits our ability to draw definitive causal conclusions.</p>","PeriodicalId":16052,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology","volume":"10 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12371942/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030316","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"SPORT SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Osteoporosis is the most prevalent metabolic bone disease, characterized by decreased bone mineral density, which leads to increased bone fragility, back pain, impaired postural stability, and a heightened risk of fractures. Proprioceptive exercises have been identified as an effective approach for reducing the risk of falls and adverse events. Objective: Our aim was to conduct a pilot exploratory study evaluating the effectiveness of proprioceptive training in improving coordination and balance, and in reducing chronic thoracolumbar back pain in older women diagnosed with osteoporosis. Methods: Quantitative ultrasound bone densitometry was performed on 144 women over the age of 60, followed by the implementation of a proprioceptive training program. The One-Leg Stance balance test and the Visual Analog Scale for pain intensity were administered before and after a six-month training intervention. Results: ANOVA revealed significant improvements in balance, with the OLS duration increasing from 2.49 s at baseline to 7.31 s following the intervention. Participants aged over 70 years demonstrated a positive, though comparatively lower increase in stability and balance. Chi-squared (χ2) analysis indicated that 83.9% of the variance in OLS performance was attributable to proprioceptive training (Cramer's V = 0.839, p = 0.001). A significant reduction in VAS pain scores was observed, with 48.1% of the variance explained by the moderate effect of proprioceptive training (Cramer's V = 0.481, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Proprioceptive training has the potential to improve postural stability, balance, and coordination and stimulate pain intensity in the thoracolumbar region. Despite promising results, the absence of a control group limits our ability to draw definitive causal conclusions.
背景:骨质疏松症是最常见的代谢性骨病,其特征是骨密度降低,从而导致骨脆弱性增加、背部疼痛、姿势稳定性受损和骨折风险增加。本体感觉练习已被确定为减少跌倒和不良事件风险的有效方法。目的:我们的目的是开展一项初步探索性研究,评估本体感觉训练在改善骨质疏松症老年妇女协调和平衡以及减轻慢性胸腰背痛方面的有效性。方法:对144名60岁以上的女性进行定量超声骨密度测量,随后实施本体感觉训练计划。在六个月训练干预前后分别进行单腿站立平衡测试和疼痛强度视觉模拟量表。结果:方差分析显示平衡性有显著改善,OLS持续时间从基线时的2.49秒增加到干预后的7.31秒。70岁以上的参与者在稳定性和平衡性方面表现出了积极的增长,尽管相对较低。χ2分析显示,83.9%的OLS成绩方差归因于本体感觉训练(Cramer’s V = 0.839, p = 0.001)。VAS疼痛评分显著降低,其中48.1%的方差可以解释为本体感觉训练的中等效果(Cramer’s V = 0.481, p = 0.001)。结论:本体感觉训练有可能改善体位稳定性、平衡性和协调性,并刺激胸腰椎区的疼痛强度。尽管结果令人鼓舞,但缺乏对照组限制了我们得出明确因果结论的能力。