Core stability training outperformed general exercise for back-pain disability
Both programs included cognitive dual-task training; disability and pain results favored core stability exercise after treatment and at follow-up.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Both exercise groups improved, but the core stability group had greater reductions in disability and pain after treatment and at follow-up. Quality-of-life and fear-related measures also favored that group immediately after treatment. Because both groups received cognitive dual-task training, this comparison does not isolate the added value of the cognitive component.
This small trial compared combined exercise programs. The abstract supplies no confidence intervals or raw disability-score changes, limiting assessment of the difference's precision and practical size.
What researchers found
Disability on the Oswestry Disability Index
At 18-week follow-up, core stability plus cognitive dual-task training improved disability scores more than general exercises with the same training.
Tracking disability over time
Disability was the primary outcome, assessed before treatment, afterward and at follow-up. Pain followed the same schedule; psychological outcomes and quality of life were assessed only through treatment completion.
Interpreting the disability result
A group-level improvement in a disability questionnaire does not describe every participant's experience. The abstract reports standardized effects, leaving the change in questionnaire points and its practical meaning unclear.
The original publication
The additional effects of dual-task training with core stability exercises versus general exercises on disability and pain in people with nonspecific chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.
Raoufi Z, Tabatabaei A, Dadgoo M et al.
Musculoskelet Sci Pract · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41633131
- Record checked
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