| Objective: To observe the effects of pile-standing exercise on spinal sagittal balance parameters and lumbar function in patients following lumbar fusion surgery.Methods: A total of 68 patients after lumbar fusion surgery were randomly divided into a control group (n=34) and an observation group (n=34). The control group received conventional postoperative functional exercise, while the observation group performed pile-standing exercise. Sagittal vertical axis (SVA), pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic incidence (PI), sacral slope (SS), thoracic kyphosis (TK), and lumbar lordosis (LL) were recorded before intervention (one week postoperatively, same below) and 12 weeks after intervention, with SVA as the primary indicator for evaluating effectiveness. Visual analogues scale (VAS) was used to assess low back and leg pain, and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used to evaluate lumbar functional status before intervention, and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after intervention.Results: At 12 weeks post-intervention, the absolute value of SVA decreased significantly in the observation group but increased significantly in the control group (P<0.01). PT increased in both groups (control group P<0.01; observation group P<0.05), with the observation group showing a lower PT than the control group (P<0.01). Both SS and TK increased in the two groups (P<0.05), with higher values observed in the observation group than the control group (P<0.01). No statistically significant differences were found in PI within or between groups. LL increased significantly in the observation group (P<0.01), while no significant change was observed in the control group, and no statistical dif-ference was noted between groups. VAS scores and ODI showed a continuous decreasing trend in both groups at 4, 8, and 12 weeks post-intervention (P<0.05). Between-group comparisons revealed that the observation group had lower lower-limb VAS scores and ODI scores than the control group at 4, 8, and 12 weeks (P<0.05). However, for low back VAS scores, the observation group was lower than the control group only at 4 weeks (P<0.01), with no statistically significant differences at 8 and 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, the effectiveness rate was higher in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion: In the rehabilitation following lumbar fusion surgery, pile-standing exercise, compared to conventional functional exercise, can better maintain spinal sagittal balance, enhance compensatory balance ability, alleviate postoperative pain, and improve lumbar function. |
