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Differences in repositioning error among patients with low back pain compared with control subjects
K L Newcomer1, E R Laskowski, B Yu
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Spine
|October 3, 2000
Summary
Patients with low back pain show impaired trunk repositioning accuracy, indicating altered proprioception. This study measured trunk repositioning error in individuals with and without low back pain.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Science
- Kinesiology
Background:
- Low back pain rehabilitation often includes proprioceptive training, yet research on low back proprioception is limited.
- Proprioception, the sense of body position, is crucial for motor control and may be affected in low back pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify trunk repositioning error as a measure of low back proprioception.
- To compare trunk repositioning error between individuals with chronic low back pain and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Trunk repositioning error was assessed in 20 patients with low back pain and 20 controls.
- Subjects stood with immobilized legs and pelvis, moved to a target trunk position, and attempted to replicate it.
- Trunk position was measured using a 3Space Tracker, calculating error in frontal and sagittal planes.
Main Results:
- Patients with low back pain exhibited significantly higher repositioning error in trunk flexion compared to controls.
- Conversely, patients with low back pain showed significantly lower repositioning error in trunk extension than controls.
Conclusions:
- Increased trunk repositioning error in flexion suggests impaired proprioception in individuals with low back pain.
- The reduced error in extension may be linked to increased mechanoreceptor activation in facet joints, warranting further investigation.