Effect of adding retro-walking to the tradional program on postpartum low back pain: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Postpartum low back pain (LBP) is a distressing complaint affecting about 75% of women after delivery, interfering with their daily activities and the new babies' care. Purpose: This study sought to examine retro-walking (RW) effectiveness on postpartum LBP. Methods: Thirty-six postpartum women suffering from LBP after cesarean section delivery (from 6 weeks to 6 months), with ages from 25 to 35 years, participated in the study. They were randomly allocated into two equal groups; the control group practiced postural correction exercises and back care advice only for 3 weeks, and the study group practiced a similar program as the control group plus a backward walking program on a treadmill for 15 minutes, three sessions/week for three weeks. Each woman in each group was assessed before and after the treatment through the visual analog scale (VAS), Modified Schober test, and Oswestry disability index (ODI) to evaluate the pain intensity, lumbar flexion, and extension range of motions (ROM), and functional disability, respectively. Results: Both groups exhibited significant improvements across all measured outcomes following treatment compared to baseline values (p > 0.01). Comparing both groups indicated that group B demonstrated superior results, with a significant reduction in VAS (d = 0.86) and ODI scores (d = 2.37) and increased lumbar flexion (d = 0.87) and extension (d = 0.94) ROM after treatment (p < 0.01). Conclusion: RW can be recommended as an effective adjunctive treatment protocol for postpartum females with LBP