2025-06-17 コンコルディア大学
<関連情報>
- https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2025/06/17/aquatic-therapy-can-heal-the-muscles-and-minds-of-people-with-chronic-low-back-pain.html
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-00210-3
慢性腰痛患者における傍脊柱筋の形態と機能に対する水中運動と標準治療の比較:無作為化比較試験 Aquatic exercise versus standard care on paraspinal muscle morphology and function in chronic low back pain patients: a randomized controlled trial
Brent Rosenstein,Chanelle Montpetit,Nicolas Vaillancourt,Geoffrey Dover,Christina Weiss,Lee Ann Papula,Antonys Melek & Maryse Fortin
Science Reports Published:06 May 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00210-3
Abstract
Low back pain (LBP) is a disabling disease and a public health concern. Aquatic exercise is an alternative form of exercise with less spinal loading and difficulty performing movements, benefiting those with pain-related fear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an aquatic exercise program (SwimEx) versus standard care (SC) on lumbar paraspinal muscle volume and composition, strength and patient outcomes in individuals with chronic LBP. This randomized controlled trial included 34 participants with chronic LBP. Participants were randomly allocated to each group (SwimEx, n = 18; SC, n = 16) and underwent a 10-week supervised intervention program twice per week. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at baseline and 10-weeks to examine the impact of each intervention on multifidus (MF) and erector spinae (ES) muscle volume (cm3) and fatty infiltration (% FI) at L1-L2, L2-L3, L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1. Mixed model repeated measures ANCOVA revealed no significant time*group interactions for MF and ES volume and %FI. SwimEX had significant increases in MF volume at L2-L3 and L3-L4, and ES volume at L1-L2. Furthermore, SwimEX also had a significant increase in MF %FI at L2-L3. Both groups displayed significant increases in lumbar strength. Correlations between muscle morphology and patient outcomes showed improvements in MF volume were moderately correlated with an increase in physical quality of life and decrease in anxiety/depression. Interestingly, improvements in MF volume, MF %FI, and ES %FI, were each moderately correlated with a decrease in sleep disturbance. In conclusion, aquatic therapy may help increase lumbar paraspinal muscle volume and strength in participants with chronic LBP. Our findings support the notion that improvements in paraspinal muscle health are related to improvements in patient-reported outcomes. More imaging studies are required to examine the impact of exercise on overall paraspinal muscle health in chronic LBP and investigate these associations.
