Study Summary

Sixty-six male patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain were randomized into three groups: core stability exercises with Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and hot packs, intermittent lumbar traction with TENS and hot packs, or conventional therapy consisting of TENS and hot packs only. The outcomes of interest were pain intensity measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and functional disability measured using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Outcomes were assessed before and after a 5-week intervention period. Overall, the results of the study revealed that both the core stability exercise group and the intermittent traction group demonstrated significant improvements in pain and disability, whereas the control group showed minimal changes. The core stability exercise group achieved significantly greater reductions in pain and disability compared with both traction and conventional therapy. These findings suggest that core stability exercises may provide superior short-term clinical benefits in the management of nonspecific chronic low back pain.