Impact of discopathic lumbosacral pain on body posture. A pilot study

Lumbosacral back pain is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of discopathic lumbosacral pain on displacement of the body's centre of gravity and foot-ground pressure.

The study involved 30 patients (20 females and 10 males) with discopathic lumbosacral pain at the L(4)-L(5) and L(5)-S(1) levels, who underwent physiotherapeutic rehabilitation in the Rehabilitation Centre in Zamość. The mean age of the patients was 50.03 years ±16.15 (females - 47.5 ±16.8; males - 61.1 ±12.33). A Stability 2.0 stabilometric platform was used to assess the displacement of the body's centre of gravity and foot-ground pressure.

The results revealed that the amplitude of centre of gravity displacement was significantly lower in the frontal plane than in the sagittal plane, irrespective of whether the test was performed with closed or open eyes. All study participants showed a predominance of posterior tilt. As regards deviations in the frontal plane, 66.67% of the patients favoured the right lower limb, while 33.33% put more weight on the left lower limb.

1. Discopathic lumbosacral pain influenced the displacement of the body's centre of gravity and the symmetry of lower extremity loading. 2. Physiotherapy in patients with discopathic lumbosacral pain should be aimed at restoring the body's displaced centre of gravity and ensuring symmetrical loading of the lower extremities.