Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The etiology of lumbar muscle strain is unclear, and it is a kind of specific disease. Lumbar muscles strain not only affects quality of life and work, but also causes heavy medical burden and indirect social costs.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of electropuncture and core strength training on lumbar muscle strain in college students.
METHODS: The study was in accordance with the ethics requirements of Guangxi Normal University. Eighty college students with lumbar muscle strain were selected, and they signed the informed consents. The participants were randomized into control group (no intervention), electropuncture group, core strength training group, electropuncture with core strength training group. The intervention time was 7 weeks. The Visual Analogue Scale scores and pain system scores at baseline and after treatment were recorded. The recurrence was measured after 4 months of follow-up.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The Visual Analogue Scale scores and pain system scores in the electropuncture, core strength training, and electropuncture with core strength training groups were significantly decreased compared with the baseline scores (P < 0.05). (2) The Visual Analogue Scale scores and pain system scores in the electropuncture, core strength training, and electropuncture with core strength training groups were significantly lower than those in the control group after intervention, and the scores in the electropuncture with core strength training group were significantly lower than those in the electropuncture and core strength training groups (P < 0.05). (3) The healing rate in the core strength training and electropuncture with core strength training groups was significantly higher than that in the electropuncture group, and the treatment efficacy in the core strength training and electropuncture with core strength training groups was significantly superior to the electropuncture group (P < 0.05). (4) The recurrence in the core strength training and electropuncture with core strength training groups was significantly lower than that in the electropuncture group (P < 0.05). (5) These results indicate that electropuncture and core strength training both have certain treatment efficacy for lumbar muscle strain in college students and core strength training is better than electropuncture, with lower recurrence. The synergistic effect of the combination of core strength training and electropuncture for lumbar muscle strain in college students is remarkable.

Key words: electropuncture, core strength training, lumbar muscle strain, pain, college student