Effects of Rehabilitation Exercise on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Muscle Cross-Sectional Area in Overweight Patients with Low Back Pain

Limited studies exist on the effects of exercise therapy on obese and normal-weight patients. Herein, we investigated the effect of a 12-week rehabilitation exercise program on cardiovascular risk factors, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and change in the cross-sectional area (CSA) of lumbar muscles in patients with obesity and normal-weight low back pain (LBP). LBP patients were allocated to the overweight LBP group (OLG; = 15) and normal-weight LBP group (NLG; = 15). They performed a rehabilitation exercise program three times per week for 12 weeks. Cardiovascular risk factors, ODI score, and lumbar muscle CSA were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Body composition, body weight ( < 0.001), and body mass index ( < 0.001) significantly improved after the exercise intervention in OLG. Body fat percentage significantly decreased in both groups, but OLG ( < 0.001) showed slightly greater improvement than NLG ( = 0.034). Total cholesterol ( = 0.013) and low-density lipoprotein ( = 0.002) significantly improved in OLG. ODI score improved significantly in both groups ( = 0.000). Lumbar muscle CSA showed a significant difference in the context of the time result ( = 0.008). OLG showed a significant improvement post-intervention ( = 0.003). The rehabilitation exercise program was more beneficial on cardiovascular risk factors and change in lumbar muscle CSA in OLG, suggesting an intensive exercise intervention needed for overweight patients with LBP.