Self-reports vs. physical measures of spinal stiffness

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Orthopedics
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Lumbar posterior-to-anterior (PA) stiffness reduction correlates with pain relief in some low back pain patients.
• Objective PA stiffness measurement is time-consuming.
• The Lumbar Spine Instability Questionnaire (LSIQ) and Lumbar Spine Disability Index (LSDI) are self-report measures for spinal instability and stiffness-related disability, respectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare self-reported measures (LSIQ, LSDI) with objective lumbar PA stiffness measurements using the Vertetrack (VT) device.
• To assess the correlation between LSIQ, LSDI, and VT measures in patients with non-specific low back pain (nsLBP).

Main Methods:

• Twenty-nine nsLBP patients completed LSIQ and LSDI at baseline and two weeks.
• Lumbar PA stiffness was objectively measured using the Vertetrack (VT) device concurrently.
• Patients received four spinal manipulation sessions between measurements.

Main Results:

• LSIQ and LSDI scores showed poor correlation with objective VT measures at baseline and with change scores.
• Changes in objectively measured PA stiffness did not differ between responders and non-responders.
• Reduced lumbar PA stiffness post-intervention was not associated with improved LSIQ or LSDI outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The LSIQ and LSDI questionnaires do not correlate with objective VT measurements of lumbar PA stiffness.
• Objective and self-reported measures assess distinct domains and are not interchangeable for evaluating low back pain outcomes.