2. Methods
In this prospective randomized pilot study, randomization was performed by a therapist who was not involved in the study at the time of the first participant interviews. After baseline measurements, randomization was conducted by distributing blank envelopes with 2 group numbers to the participants, categorized by sex, and subsequently randomly assigning patients to either the abdominal bracing group (ABBG, performed SSE with ABB) or control group (CG, only performed SSE). The blinding method could not be applied to the researcher (S.W.) who conducted the intervention. However, all other researchers were blinded to group allocation and statistical analyses.Before participating, the purpose, methods, and risks of the study were explained to the participants, and written informed consent was obtained. The study procedure was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Nanoori Hospital (Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea) (NR-IRB 2018-016) and conforms to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. The trial was registered at the Clinical Research Information Service under code KCT0007777 on 06/10/2022. A CONSORT diagram for this study is shown in Figure Flow diagram showing the progress of the study.