The Effects of Self-Natural Posture Exercise Programs on Chronic Low Back Pain

Low back pain is a major health problem across the United States, with socio-economic burden, major cause of disability, and poor quality of life. One such non-pharmacologic treatment is Self-Natural Posture Exercise (SNPE), a series of exercise programs developed in conjunction with orthodontic bracing principles. Belts are worn around the hips (pelvic correction belt) and legs (right posture belt) to assist with self-directed exercise and posture correction. A typical SNPE program has eight different movements, targeting the entire axial skeleton. The exercises can be practiced anywhere and are widely applicable to patients as exercises are low- to moderate-intensity flexibility-based muscle strength training. There are several studies from Korea examining the efficacy of SNPE; however, there are few English language studies and there are no studies from outside the country of South Korea. As such, there is little data the generalizability of SNPE, the degree of cultural acceptance in other countries, and the all-important adherence to the home exercise program. The present study proposes to be the first study outside of South Korea to examine the effects of SNPE on chronic low back patients.