Mini Trampoline Exercises And The Functional Capacity Of Patients With Spinal Pain

Abstract

Abstract Introduction . One of the reasons for the lower quality of life of ageing patients has to do with the chronic pain they experience due to disorders of the locomotor and nervous systems. These disorders include osteoarthritis, and in particular degenerative-deforming changes in the spine, which increase the patients’ tendency to fall and to suffer increasingly severe consequences as a result. Financial resources, both in Poland and in many other countries, are mainly allocated to treating patients, and it seems that measures which would help prevent falls are not being taken to a sufficient extent, bearing in mind how important fall prevention is for dealing with old age-related health issues. According to the latest medical expertise, falls can be effectively prevented if multi-disciplinary prevention programmes are implemented. These programmes consist of specially designed and varied exercises using machines and other equipment which help improve joint mobility and restore balance control. The aim to the study was to determine what impact exercises using a mini trampoline had on the functional capacity of a group of middle-aged subjects who participated in the study. Material and methods . The study was conducted at the KRUS “GRANIT” Farmers’ Rehabilitation Centre in Szklarska Poręba on a group of 80 persons aged 45-55 years (67% of them were women and 33% were men), who completed a mini trampoline exercise programme as part of a 21-day rehabilitation course. Before the subjects started the programme and after they completed it, basic somatic measurements were taken, tests were conducted in order to diagnose the subjects’ functional capacity and the subjective level of pain experienced by the subjects was measured using a pain rating scale (VAS). Results . It was found that the regular mini trampoline exercises had had an impact on the functional capacity of the subjects and the training had significantly reduced pain in the lumbar region of the spine.