EFFECTIVENESS OF CORE STABILITY EXERCISES ON AND OFF THE SWISS BALL ON PAIN, RANGE OF MOTION, AND DISABILITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH NONSPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN

Background: Nonspecic low back pain (NSLBP) is among the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders and a major cause of disability worldwide. Core stability exercises have proven efcacy, but the inuence of exercise surface—unstable (Swiss ball) versus stable (oor)—is less explored. To determine and compare the effectiveness of core stability exercises on and off the Swis Objective: s ball on pain, range of motion, and functional disability in NSLBP patients. Thirty participants (aged 25–50 years) with NSLBP were rand Methods: omized into Group A (Swiss ball, n=15) and Group B (oor, n=15). Both groups received interferential therapy followed by four progressive core exercises (pelvic tilts, bird-dog, bridging, dead bug) for four weeks. Pain was assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), lumbar mobility by Modied Schober's Test (MST), and disability by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Data were analyzed using SPSS v21 with paired and independent t-tests. Both Results: groups showed signicant improvement in pain, ROM, and disability (p<0.05). Group A demonstrated greater reductions in NPRS (6.93→3.07 vs. 7.00→4.40), greater gains in MST exion (3.20→6.13 vs. 3.47→5.27) and extension (1.13→1.87 vs. 1.07→1.40), and a larger reduction in ODI scores (48.40→21.13 vs. 47.60→29.20). Core stability exercises effectively reduce pain and disabilit Conclusion: y in NSLBP, with Swiss ball–based training providing superior benets compared to oor-based exercises. These ndings highlight the therapeutic value of instabilitybased training in rehabilitation.