Abstract
Williams JM, Haq I, Lee RY. Dynamic lumbar curvature measurement in acute and chronic
low back pain sufferers.
Objectives
(1) To determine the reliability of a novel fiber-optic method to dynamically measure
lumbar curvature in low back pain (LBP) sufferers, and (2) to investigate the dynamic
lumbar curvature in acute and chronic LBP sufferers.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
Physiotherapy clinic.
Participants
Acute (n=20) and chronic (n=20) LBP sufferers recruited from general practitioner
and therapist referrals.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
A fiber-optic device was used to measure curvature through time during flexion, lifting,
and extension movements. Repeated-measures reliability for curvature-time curves was
tested using coefficients of multiple correlation (CMCs) and root mean square error,
and for peak curvature values intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and mean
absolute errors were used. Acute and chronic LBP groups were compared using peak curvatures
and sequencing of curvature change.
Results
The fiber-optic method was shown to be highly reliable in measuring both whole lumbar
and lower lumbar curvature with CMC values >.81 and ICC values >.99. Chronic LBP sufferers
displayed greater peak curvatures during flexion and lifting for the whole lumbar
spine and lifting for the lower lumbar spine. The sequencing behavior demonstrated
that the quartile of movement associated with the greatest curvature change was the
second for flexion and lifting and first and second for extension across both groups.
No significant differences in sequencing were demonstrated between the 2 groups.
Conclusions
This method is reliable for dynamic lumbar curvature measurement in back pain sufferers
and is a viable option for clinicians. Acute LBP sufferers display less kyphosis during
flexion and lifting. Sequencing of curvature change is similar across the 2 groups.
Key Words
List of Abbreviations:
CMC (coefficient of multiple correlation), ICC (intraclass correlation coefficient), LBP (low back pain), RMSE (root mean square error), VAS (visual analog scale)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 25, 2012
Footnotes
Current affiliation for Williams is School of Health and Social Care, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.
Supported by the Private Physiotherapy Education Foundation (grant no. 1005738).
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
Reprints are not available from the author.
In-press corrected proof published online on Aug 17, 2012, at www.archives-pmr.org.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
