Core stability exercises on pain, lumbar and abdominal resistance in patients with brucellosis. Pilot study

Introduction: Brucellosis is a zoonotic intracellular bacterial infection, whose most frequent complications are low back and abdominal pain. In addition, antibiotic therapy against Brucella has side effects that can exacerbate muscular pain in the lumbar area causing a deterioration of mobility and function of the lower extremities. For all these reasons, non-pharmacological interventions through therapeutic exercise are necessary to mitigate them. Our study has evaluated the effects of exercise on pain and resistance of the lumbar and abdominal musculature in patients with brucellosis. Material and method: A prospective, randomized, single-blind clinical trial followed the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) norms. After the screening, 24 patients with brucellosis were randomized to a core stabilization exercise training (CSE) group (n = 15) of the multifidus and transverse abdominal muscles (2 weeks / 3 sessions /10 minutes/day) and a control group (CON) (n = 9) with no training. Pre- and post-CSE testing included endurance of the lumbar and abdominal musculature, using the modified Biering-Sørensen test and abdominal crunch tests. In addition, the visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure perceived pain in brucellosis patients. Results: The resistance of the abdominal and lumbar musculature increased significantly (P = 0.001) in the CSE group after 2 weeks of training at the baseline and to the CON. In addition, VAS decreased significantly (P = 0.001) in the CSE group with respect to the CON. Conclusion: Our results could indicate that a CSE training program significantly improves the resistance of the lumbar and abdominal musculature and decreases the perception of pain in patients with brucellosis. Therefore, it would be appropriate to recommend CSE protocols during recovery from Brucella infection