DOI: 10.5061/dryad.b8gtht7hh
title: Exercises on a balance cushion to influence lumbar vertebral syndrome

description: Background: Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal
 disorders, often associated with lumbar vertebral syndrome. Various
 conservative treatments are available, including exercise therapy and
 manual techniques. The aim of this study is to describe a
 kinesitherapeutic program of balance cushion exercises and to evaluate its
 effectiveness, supplemented with manual trigger point therapy, in reducing
 pain, improving lumbar mobility, and enhancing neurodynamic function in
 patients with lumbar vertebral syndrome. Methods: Twenty participants with
 chronic low back pain with symptoms persisting for at least 3 months (mean
 age: 29.8 ± 3.89 years; 10 men, 10 women) were assessed using the Visual
 Analogue Scale (VAS), Schober test, lateral flexion and Straight Leg Raise
 Test. The intervention lasted one month and included balance cushion
 exercises performed individually 2-3 times per day for approximately 10
 minutes. Participants attended weekly clinical sessions for manual therapy
 targeting lumbar and gluteal trigger points, and for supervision of
 exercise performance. Due to the absence of a control group, improvements
 cannot be solely attributed to balance cushion training, as manual therapy
 was also provided. Results: Significant improvements were observed in all
 indicators. VAS scores decreased from 6.7 ± 1.08 to 0.4 ± 0.75
 (p&lt;0.001). Schober test values increased from 1.87 ± 0.23 cm to
 3.04 ± 0.15 cm (p&lt;0.001). Lateral flexion improved bilaterally
 (left: from 52.08 ± 1.07 cm to 48.81 ± 1.61 cm; right: from 51.79 ± 1.38
 cm to 48.91 ± 1.28; p&lt;0.001). Straight Leg Raise Test results
 increased from 48.45 ± 5.94 ⁰ to 76.25 ± 3.34⁰ (p&lt;0.001).
 Conclusions: A one-month program of balance cushion exercises, combined
 with weekly manual therapy, significantly reduced pain and improved lumbar
 mobility in patients with lumbar vertebral syndrome. These findings
 support the use of functional exercise approaches in conservative
 management of low back pain although controlled studies with larger
 samples are needed. 
description: Please see the README document and the accompanying published
 article: Zlatkova, K., Zlatkov, Y. (2023) Exercises on a balance cushion
 to inflience lumbar vertebral syndrome, F1000Research, Accepted.
 DOI:10.5061\dryad.b8.gtht7hh 
description: Please see the README document and the accompanying article:
 Zlatkova, K., Zlatkov, Y. (2023). Exercises on a balance cushion to
 influence of lumbar vertebral syndrome, F1000Research, Accepted. DOI:
 10.5061\dryad.b8.gtht7hh
description: # Title of Dataset Exercises on a balance cushion to influence lumbar
 vertebral syndrome [Access this dataset on
 Dryad](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.b8gtht7hh) This dataset contains
 anonymized baseline and outcome data from 20 participants with lumbar
 vertebral syndrome. Participants completed a one-month kinesitherapeutic
 program combining balance cushion exercises (daily home training) and
 weekly manual trigger point therapy. Variables include demographics,
 clinical baseline values, and outcome measures before and after
 intervention. --- ## Description of the data and file structure * The
 dataset is provided in **Excel (.xlsx)** format.
 **Lumbar_vertebral_syndrome.xlsx** � the primary dataset with anonymized
 participant data. * Each row corresponds to one anonymized participant. *
 Columns contain demographic variables (age, sex, BMI, pain duration),
 baseline values, and post-intervention outcome measures. **Variables:** *
 **ID** “ anonymized participant code * **Age (years)** * **Sex**
 (male/female) * **BMI (kg/mВІ)** [added in Version 2] * **Pain duration
 (weeks)** [added in Version 2] * **VAS (Visual Analogue Scale 0-10)**,
 before and after intervention * **Schober test (cm)**, before and after
 intervention * **Lateral flexion (cm)**, left and right, before and after
 intervention * **Straight Leg Raise (degrees)**, before and after
 intervention No missing data are present. All units and abbreviations are
 defined above. --- ## Sharing/Access information This dataset is openly
 available in the Dryad Digital Repository: *
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.b8gtht7hh](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.b8gtht7hh) Data were collected for the study:\ Zlatkova K, Zlatkov Y. Exercises on a balance cushion to influence lumbar vertebral syndrome. *F1000Research*. --- ## Code/Software No custom scripts are included. Data were entered in **Microsoft Excel 2016** and analyzed in **GraphPad Prism 3.0**. --- ## Change log **Version 2 (August 2025):** * Added Body Mass Index (BMI) as a variable. * Added pain duration (weeks) as a variable. * Updated data tables (removed old version with comments, retained clean dataset). * Minor edits in variable descriptions and terminology for clarity.