척추 안정화 운동과 요부 신전 지구력 운동을 병합한 복합 프로그램이 만성 요통 운동선수의 통증 및 경기력 회복에 단독 운동보다 뚜렷한 효과를 보인다는 무작위대조시험 결과가 나왔다.
국제학술지 《Musculoskeletal Care》2026년호에 게재된 이 연구는 만성 요통을 가진 대학 운동선수 48명을 SE+BEEE 복합군과 BEEE 단독군으로 무작위 배정해 8주간 주 3회 훈련을 진행했다.
결과 분석에서 SE+BEEE 복합군은 통증,장애 정도,기능,스프린트 성능,민첩성에서 BEEE 단독군보다 유의하게 더 큰 개선을 보였다.
삶의 질, 수면의 질, 근력은 두 그룹 모두에서 개선됐지만,그룹 간 차이는 나타나지 않았다. 특히 스프린트 성능에서 복합군의 효과 크기가 매우 크게 나타나, 요통 치료가 단순 통증 감소를 넘어 경기력 회복으로 이어짐을 보여줬다.
8주 훈련 종료 후 12주 추적 평가에서도 복합군의 우위가 유지돼 지속적인 효과가 확인됐다.
연구진은 "척추 안정화 운동이 심부 근육의 협응력과 분절 안정성을 향상시켜 요부 신전 운동의 효과를 증폭시키는 상승 작용이 나타난다"고 설명했다. 만성 요통으로 경기력 저하를 경험하는 운동선수에게는 두 가지 운동 유형을 결합한 재활 프로그램이 최선의 접근법으로 권고된다.
스포츠 트레이너와 물리치료사들은 단순한 통증 완화 운동을 넘어 코어 안정화와 지구력 요소를 통합한 맞춤형 요통 재활 프로그램 설계를 고려해야 할 것이다.
※ 출처: Musculoskeletal Care, 2026. PMID: 41956976
A randomized controlled trial has found that combining spinal stabilization exercises with lumbar extension endurance training produces superior improvements in pain, disability, and athletic performance in university athletes with chronic low back pain, compared to lumbar extension training alone.
The study, published in Musculoskeletal Care in 2026, enrolled 48 university athletes diagnosed with chronic low back pain — defined as pain persisting for 12 or more weeks. Participants were randomly assigned to either a combined spinal stabilization and back extension endurance exercise program (SE+BEEE) or a back extension endurance exercise-only program (BEEE). Both groups trained three times per week for eight weeks.
Outcomes were assessed for pain intensity, disability, health-related quality of life, sleep quality, function, sprint performance, agility, and strength. The SE+BEEE group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the BEEE group across multiple key outcomes: pain (partial eta-squared ηp²=0.17), disability (ηp²=0.14), functional performance (ηp²=0.07), sprint speed (ηp²=0.45), and agility (ηp²=0.23).
The effect size for sprint performance was particularly striking at ηp²=0.45, indicating a large between-group difference. This suggests that the combined program not only reduced pain but meaningfully restored athletic capability — a distinction that matters greatly for competitive athletes whose livelihood or sporting goals depend on speed and agility.
Quality of life, sleep quality, and strength improved in both groups over the 8-week training period, though no significant differences were observed between groups for these outcomes. This indicates that both interventions provide general health benefits, but that the combined approach offers specific advantages for performance-related outcomes.
Notably, the gains achieved by the SE+BEEE group were maintained at a 12-week follow-up assessment, confirming that the benefits of the combined program persisted beyond the active training period. This durability is clinically significant, as it suggests the exercises may promote lasting structural or neuromuscular adaptations rather than merely providing temporary relief.
The authors proposed that spinal stabilization exercises enhance deep muscle coordination and segmental spinal stability, which amplifies the effectiveness of the lumbar extension component. Together, the two modalities appear to address complementary aspects of low back pain pathology in athletes.
Sports medicine clinicians, physical therapists, and athletic trainers working with athletes who experience chronic low back pain are advised to move beyond single-modality approaches. Integrating core stabilization training with endurance-focused lumbar extension exercises appears to offer the most comprehensive benefits for this population.
Source: Musculoskeletal Care, 2026. PMID: 41956976
