The effect of William's exercise on non-specific and chronic referral low back pain

Introduction: William's flexion exercise is recommended for any kind of non-specific low back pain. However, no clinical trial study has yet determined its effect. This study examines the effect of William's flexion exercise on pain intensity and disability in patients with chronic non-specific and referral low back pain.

Materials and Methods: This clinical trial study included 32 patients with CLBP, assigned into 2 groups of non-specific low back pain (n=16) and referral low back pain (n=16). Both groups received a two-week Flexion exercise intervention. Data was collected using Mc-Gill pain questionnaire and Roland Morris disability questionnaire completed once on the first and again on the last day of the period before and after the intervention. The data were then analyzed using independent and paired t-tests.

Results: For the non-specific group, Mc-Gill pain score decreased from 17.6±3.4 to 7.1±2.8 (P<0.05), and in referral group from 23.2±4.7 to 8.8±3.3 (P<0/05). A significant statistical difference was observed in the mean score obtained from Roland Morris disability questionnaire after the treatment (p<0.05) for the two groups. Disability score for the non-specific group was lower than that of the referral group.

Conclusion: Our result supported the effectiveness of William's flexion exercise in reducing the pain in patients with chronic non-specific and referral low back pain. In terms of reducing disability, better result was observed for the non-specific group compared to the referral group.