The Effect of Eight Weeks of Aquatic Pilates on Happiness and Pain Self-efficacy in Women with Chronic Low Back Pain

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

Abstract
Chronic low back pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition that imposes substantial physical, psychological, and social burdens, particularly among women.This quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial was conducted on 40 women aged 35–45 years diagnosed with non-specific chronic low back pain lasting longer than 12 weeks.Participants were recruited using purposive sampling from local health centers and public announcements and were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20).Data were collected before and after the intervention using standardized self-report questionnaires. Happiness was assessed using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire–Short Form, and pain self-efficacy was measured using the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.Following the eight-week intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in both psychological variables, whereas the control group showed no improvement or a slight decline.The findings of this study demonstrate that an eight-week aquatic Pilates exercise program is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for improving happiness and pain self-efficacy in women with non-specific chronic low back pain.

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