Study design
A total of 60 participants were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fifteen failed to meet the inclusion criteria after further clinical examination, and fifteen refused to participate. Therefore, a total of 30 eligible participants were randomly assigned to the experimental (modified lumbo-pelvic exercise) and control (no exercise) group at an equal allocation ratio. There was no allocation concealment. Six participants lost to follow-up and were excluded from the study. The basic information about the participants is shown in Table Basic information between the participants of the experimental and control group.The experimental flowchart.The entire experiment period lasted for 16 weeks. The control group received no exercise interventions and was asked to maintain their usual lifestyle. The experimental group performed the exercise protocol instructed by the same coach.