EFFECTIVENESS OF DRY NEEDLING ACTIVATION OF GLUTEUS MAXIMUS ON LOW BACK PAIN DUE TO GLUTEAL AMNESIA: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

BackgroundLow back pain is a common musculoskeletal condition that can limit daily activity, work participationand quality of life. In many patients, persistent low back pain is influenced not only by lumbar spinedysfunction but also by altered hip and pelvic muscle control. Gluteal amnesia refers to reduced ordelayed activation of the gluteal muscles, particularly the gluteus maximus. When the gluteus maximusfails to activate efficiently, compensatory overuse of the lumbar extensors, hamstrings and surroundinglumbopelvic muscles may increase mechanical stress on the lower back. Dry needling may help reducemyofascial sensitivity and facilitate neuromuscular activation, especially when combined with aprogressive gluteus maximus exercise protocol.ObjectiveTo assess the effectiveness of dry needling activation of the gluteus maximus combined with a specificexercise protocol on pain intensity, functional disability and gluteus maximus strength in individualswith low back pain due to gluteal amnesia.MethodsAn experimental comparative study was conducted among 60 individuals with low back pain associatedwith gluteal amnesia. Participants were divided into two groups of 30 each. Group A received a homeexercise program, while Group B received dry needling activation of the gluteus maximus along with astructured gluteal activation and strengthening program. Outcome measures included Visual AnalogueScale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and gluteus maximus strength using manual muscletesting. Pre-intervention and post-intervention values were compared using paired t-test and between-group changes were analyzed using independent t-test. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsBoth groups showed statistically significant improvement after intervention. Group A demonstratedreduction in VAS from 7.04 ± 1.06 to 4.93 ± 1.20, while Group B showed greater reduction from 6.72 ±1.02 to 3.02 ± 1.17. ODI improved from 46.35 ± 7.98% to 32.43 ± 9.07% in Group A and from 46.94 ±6.87% to 22.68 ± 9.31% in Group B. Gluteus maximus strength improved from 3.24 ± 0.35 to 3.94 ±0.46 in Group A and from 3.12 ± 0.40 to 4.36 ± 0.42 in Group B. Between-group analysis showedsignificantly greater improvement in VAS, ODI and gluteus maximus strength in Group B (p < 0.001).ConclusionDry needling activation of the gluteus maximus combined with a specific gluteal exercise protocol wasmore effective than a home exercise program alone in reducing pain, improving functional disabilityand enhancing gluteus maximus strength in individuals with low back pain due to gluteal amnesia.