Location-Specific Disruption of the Body Schema in Chronic Low Back Pain

To investigate whether chronic low back pain (CLBP) involves location-specific or more general body schema alterations, thereby helping to determine whether location-specific tasks may improve assessment of sensorimotor alterations and/or rehabilitation strategies for CLBP patients. And, secondarily, to examine whether pain intensity is associated with the extent of body schema alterations.

Between-subject comparative study with age- and sex-matched groups.

This study was conducted at a University Hospital.

Nineteen patients with CLBP and 19 healthy control participants matched for age and sex.

Not applicable.

Body schema alterations were assessed using response time and accuracy of implicit motor imagery (IMI; ie, laterality judgment tasks) involving the painful location (low back) and a nonpainful location (hand). In CLBP patients, average pain intensity was assessed using numerical rating scales.

Compared with healthy adults, CLBP patients showed longer response time in the task involving the painful location (low back) but no difference in the task involving a nonpainful location (hand). No significant correlation was found between pain intensity and response time or accuracy.

CLBP seems associated with location-specific alterations of the body schema rather than being a generalized sensorimotor impairment. Consequently, this study highlights the value of location-specific tasks as tools for objectively identifying pain-related sensorimotor alterations and their potential to improve rehabilitation.