فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Sciatica is a neuropathic disorder involving the nerve roots from the L3 vertebra downward. Its most prominent symptom is leg pain that radiates from below the knee down to the toes. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) and Sensory-Motor Training (SMT) on pain and trunk endurance in patients with sciatica. Methods: This study was a semi-experimental field study conducted using a pre-test and post-test design. The study population consisted of 30 non-athletic women with sciatic nerve injury, selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 15: a Sensory-Motor Training (SMT) group and a Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) group. The Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale was used to assess pain intensity, and trunk flexion test was employed to evaluate lumbar endurance. The intervention included exercise sessions held three times per week, each lasting one hour, over a period of eight weeks. Data analysis was performed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and a significance level of p ≤ 0.05 was applied to examine the effects of all variables. Results: The results showed that the Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) group experienced a greater reduction in sciatic nerve pain in the post-test compared to the pre-test, relative to the Sensory-Motor Training (SMT) group. Conversely, the SMT group demonstrated a more significant improvement in trunk endurance from pre-test to post-test compared to the DNS group. Conclusion: Both training protocols can be effectively utilized as rehabilitation methods to improve the condition of individuals suffering from sciatic nerve pain.