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Published on: March 23, 2019
Association between pain and gait instability in patients with lumbar disc herniation
Keunjae Lee1, Eun-San Kim2, Boyoung Jung3
1Department of Korean Rehabilitation Medicine, Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Pain exacerbates gait instability in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Increased pain correlates with greater asymmetry in stance, swing, and single support phases of gait, impacting mobility.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Neurology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common cause of low back pain.
- Gait instability can significantly impact patient quality of life and functional independence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between pain intensity and gait instability in individuals diagnosed with LDH.
- To quantify the association between lumbar pain and specific gait parameters.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cross-sectional study utilizing electronic medical records.
- Gait analysis performed using an OptoGait photoelectric cell system.
- Multivariate linear regression analysis to assess pain and gait symmetry index.
Main Results:
- A total of 29 patients with LDH were included in the analysis.
- Each one-point increase in lumbar pain was associated with a significant increase in gait asymmetry.
- This asymmetry was observed in the stance, swing, and single support phases of gait.
Conclusions:
- Pain is a significant contributing factor to gait instability in patients with LDH.
- Managing pain may be crucial for improving gait function and reducing fall risk in this population.
Objective:
To determine whether pain is associated with gait instability in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH).
Methods:
This retrospective cross-sectional study used data from electronic medical records. Among patients with lumbar back pain caused by LDH between January 2017 and July 2019, patients that underwent gait analysis were included. LDH was diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging. An OptoGait photoelectric cell system was used for gait evaluation. Instability was measured using a gait symmetry index. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to determine the association between lumbar pain and gait instability.
Results:
A total of 29 patients (12 females [41.4%] and 17 males [58.6%]; mean ± SD age, 40.6 ± 12.0 years) with LDH were enrolled in the study. With each 1-point increase in lumbar pain on the numeric rating scale, the symmetry index of the stance phase (0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04, 0.62), swing phase (0.78; 95% CI 0.14, 1.43) and single support (0.79; 95% CI 0.15, 1.43) increased.
Conclusions:
Gait instability in patients with LDH may occur due to an increase in pain.
