Swimming as an intervention to reduce low back pain in sedentary individuals: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55892/jrg.v8i19.2411Keywords:
Low Back Pain, Swimming, Exercise Therapy, Sedentary Lifestyle, Systematic ReviewAbstract
Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent and disabling condition, with a higher risk of chronification in sedentary individuals. Swimming emerges as a promising intervention, leveraging the properties of the aquatic environment to promote muscle strengthening with low joint impact. This systematic review aimed to analyze the efficacy of swimming in reducing the intensity and frequency of low back pain in sedentary adults. The protocol followed PRISMA guidelines, with searches conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, SciELO, PEDro, LILACS, and Scopus databases, using the descriptors "Low Back Pain", "Swimming", "Aquatic Therapy", and "Sedentary Lifestyle" for clinical trials published between 2015 and 2024. Studies involving sedentary adults with chronic LBP undergoing structured swimming programs (≥8 sessions), compared to control groups or other interventions, were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. From the 10 studies included in the final synthesis, the results demonstrate that swimming promoted clinically significant reductions in pain intensity (assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale and Numeric Pain Rating Scale) and improved functionality (measured by the Oswestry Disability Index and Roland-Morris Questionnaire) when compared to inactive control groups. Additionally, improvements in secondary outcomes were observed, such as quality of life, body composition, trunk muscle strength, and gait parameters. In conclusion, swimming is an effective and safe intervention for reducing low back pain and improving functionality in sedentary individuals and can be recommended as a non-pharmacological strategy in the management of this condition.
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References
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