Study Summary

Forty women with chronic low back pain were randomized to receive either self-myofascial release combined with dynamic neuromuscular stabilization exercises or dynamic neuromuscular stabilization exercises alone. Both groups participated in supervised sessions twice a week for six weeks, with the experimental group completing 20 minutes of self-myofascial release followed by 30 minutes of stabilization exercises and the control group completing 30 minutes of stabilization exercises only. The primary outcome of interest was functional disability measured using the Korean version of the Oswestry Disability Index. Secondary outcomes included pain intensity (VAS), static balance (functional reach test), dynamic balance (Y-balance test), muscle endurance (supine bridge test), flexibility (sit-and-reach test), muscle tone and stiffness (Myoton PRO), and autonomic nervous system regulation assessed by using the standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN). Outcomes were assessed before and after the six-week intervention. Overall, the results of the study revealed that while both groups demonstrated significant improvements across all outcomes, the combination of self-myofascial release with stabilization exercises resulted in significantly greater improvements in pain, balance, muscle function, disability, and autonomic regulation. These findings suggest that adding self-myofascial release provides clinically meaningful additive benefits over stabilization exercises alone.