Nilsson-Wikmar L
This Swedish study assessed the effects of transversus abdominus and multifidus muscle training among women experiencing post-partum back pain. Ten women who experienced back pain related to pregnancy within 15 months of delivery participated.
Outcome measures of pain (using VAS and pain drawings), activity limitation (Disability Ratings Index) and kinesiophobia (Swedish version of Tampa Scale for kinesiophobia) were measured at baseline, during the treatment programme (which consisted of between two and five sessions) and post-intervention in each participant.
The results demonstrated a trend towards pain limitation and activity limitation, but kinesiophobia was reported among all participants before and after treatment. The authors concluded there was some benefit in training transversus abdominus and multifidus in women with post-partum back pain, but that the results were limited by the single-subject research design. They also concluded that further research is required into specific everyday activity limitations and kinesiophobia.
Physiother Res Int, 2007 Sept 13 [Epub ahead of print]