To explore the effect of sling exercise therapy and core stability exercise therapy to alleviate pain and improve lumbar function on patients with lumbar discherniation.

Prospectively collected thirty lumbar disc herniation patients were divided randomly into two exercise groups,the sling exercise therapy group (n=15) and the core stability exercise therapy group (n=15). Both groups received conventional physical therapy: ultrashort wave therapy and intermediate frequency pulse therapy. The treatment group was sling exercise therapy group, and the control group was core stability exercise therapy group. The treatment group was given sling training, and the control group was given core muscle training, once a day, 5 times a week for a continuous period of 4 weeks. The effects were assessed through visual analogue scale (VAS), Japanese orthopaedic association (JOA) and Oswestry disability index (ODI). The assessments were performed at the beginning, the end and 8 weeks after treatment.

At the end and 8 weeks after treatment, VAS scores (F=765.103, P<0.05) and ODI scores (F=617.315, P<0.05) of two groups were lower than that at the beginning of treatment, the JOA scores (F=614.399, P<0.05) was higher than the beginning of the treatment. At the end and 8 weeks after treatment, the VAS scores of the sling exercise therapy group was lower than the core stability exercise therapy (F=18.568, P<0.05), the JOA scores of the sling exercise therapy group was higher than the core stability exercise therapy (F=5.284, P<0.05), the ODI scores of the sling exercise therapy group was lower than the core stability exercise therapy (F=4.819,P<0.05), the difference is significantly.

Both of the sling exercise therapy and the core stability exercise therapy could reduce pain and improve lumbar function; and the sling exercise therapy was more effective and longer lasting than the core stability exercise therapy for lumbar disc herniation treatment.