Background: most pregnant women experience back pain during pregnancy, a serious issue that negatively impacts life quality during pregnancy. Research into an exercise intervention programme targeting low back pain and daily life interference is lacking.
Objective: this study evaluates how a stability ball exercise programme influences low back pain and daily life interference across the second and third pregnancy trimester.
Methods: the study was non-randomised and controlled, examining a target population of low-risk pregnancy women between 20 and 22 weeks of gestation located in a regional hospital in northern Taiwan. All participants had at least minimal low back pain, no prior history of chronic low back pain before pregnancy, and no indications of preterm labour. In total, 89 individuals participated: 45 in the control group and 44 in the experimental group (who attended an antenatal stability ball exercise programme). This programme lasted 12 weeks, composed of at least three sessions per week. Fitness workouts lasted from 25 to 30 minutes. The women completed their basic personal information, the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, and the Family Exercise Support Attitude Questionnaire.
Results: after adjusting for demographic data and antenatal exercise status by propensity scores, experimental-group women who participated in the antenatal stability ball exercise programme reported significantly less low back pain and daily life interferences than the control group at 36 weeks of gestation.
Discussion: the inclusion of stability ball exercises during pregnancy may reduce pregnancy low back pain and boost daily life functions. This stability ball exercise programme provides health-care professionals with an evidence-based intervention.
Keywords: Daily life interference; Low back pain; Pregnancy; Stability ball exercise.
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