The influence of active exercise in low positions on the functional condition of the lumbar-sacral segment in patients with discopathy.

Background: Pain in the lower segments of the spine is among the most frequent symptoms in industrialized countries. Injuries to intervertebral discs are the cause of this kind of discomfort in 90% of cases. The factors promoting the disease are: physical activity limitation, prolonged sitting position, overweight and bad movement stereotypes. New methods of treating sacral pain ignore the aspect of weakening the muscle force and do not introduce active exercise to the program of rehabilitation.

Objectives: The aim of the work was to describe the influence of active exercise in low positions on the functional condition of patients with L-S segment discopathy.

Material And Methods: The examination group consisted of 20 patients, including 17 women and 3 men. The examination was conducted twice, before and after a two-week long series of rehabilitation. The examined patients practiced a 20-minute exercise program for 10 days. The subjective part of the examination referred to pain discomfort felt by the patients and existing difficulties in performing everyday activities. The objective part included the measurement of movement range of the lumbar segment with the use of Schober's test, finger-to-floor test and spine rotation in the sitting position.

Results: It was shown that intervertebral disc disease may lead to spine flexibility limitation and to pain occurrence.

Conclusions: Practicing active exercise in low positions significantly improves the movement range and body posture and it reduces pain in the lower segments of the spine. Moreover, the patient's functional abilities are improved while performing everyday activities.