Effectiveness of Basic Body Awareness Therapy on Body Awareness, Pain, Disability and Quality of Life in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study

AimWhile there are several conservative therapy methods used for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), there remains a need for more holistic approaches. This pilot study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) in patients with CLBP.MethodsTwenty-eight patients with CLBP, 14 in the Conventional Therapy (CT) group and 14 in the BBAT group, were included in our study. Both groups received CT for 6 weeks, which included electrotherapy, hot pack, and general exercises. The BBAT group received BBAT in addition to CT. The Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) was used to assess pain, the SF-12 was used to evaluate quality of life and the Awareness Body Chart (ABC), Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ) and Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaires (FreBAQ) were used to evaluate body awareness. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Physical Impairment Index were used to assess disability.ResultsGreater improvements were observed in BBAT group compared to CT group in the emotional index and total scores of the SF-MPQ, as well as the SF-12 mental health scores (<i>p</i> < .05). BBAT produced greater improvements in body awareness values for the cervical-lumbar region, chest/abdomen, back, shoulder, thigh/hip, lower leg, and overall score of the ABC compared to CT (<i>p</i> < .05). However, there were no significant differences between the groups in the FreBAQ and BAQ scores (<i>p</i> > .05).ConclusionIn patients with CLBP, the addition of BBAT to CT resulted in positive outcomes such as increased body awareness, decreased pain, and improved mental health.