The Effect of a Course of Swiss Ball Training and Ear Acupuncture on Pain and Endurance of Trunk Muscles in People with Low Back Pain

Background: Low back pain is one of the most common health problems worldwide, but there is no agreement on the most appropriate treatment intervention. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Swiss ball training and ear acupuncture on pain and central muscle endurance in women with chronic non-specific low back pain. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 45 patients with non-specific chronic low back pain participated voluntarily. They were divided into three equal groups (Swiss ball, ear acupuncture, and control) based on random sampling, g each group consisted of 15 people. The Swiss ball and ear acupuncture groups underwent treatment for six weeks. The control group was asked to continue their daily activities before and after six weeks of the intervention. Pain and central muscle endurance were measured using visual analog scale (VAS) and McGill tests, respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data of inter-group and intra-group, respectively. Results: The results of the present study showed that pain intensity and disability were significantly reduced in both groups of ear acupuncture, Swiss ball, and central muscle endurance increased (P = 0.001); however, no significant difference was observed between the two post-tests (P > 0.05). Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, it seems that both interventions, including ear acupuncture and Swiss ball, can reduce the severity of pain and also increase central muscle endurance in women with non-specific chronic low back pain.