Abstract
Objective
To investigate whether clinical tests used to detect motor control dysfunction can
predict improvements in pain and disability in patients with chronic nonspecific low
back pain (LBP) who have undergone an 8-week lumbar stabilization exercise program.
Study Design
A prospective cohort study.
Setting
Outpatient physical therapy university clinic.
Participants
Seventy people with chronic nonspecific LBP were recruited, and 64 completed the exercise
program (N=64).
Interventions
The lumbar stabilization program was provided twice a week for 8 weeks.
Main Outcome Measures
Pain intensity (11-point numerical rating scale) and disability (Roland Morris Disability
Questionnaire) and clinical tests, such as the Deep Muscle Contraction (DMC) scale,
Clinical Test of Thoracolumbar Dissociation (CTTD), and Passive Lumbar Extension (PLE)
test. Univariate and multivariate linear regression models were used in the prediction
analysis.
Results
Mean changes in pain intensity and disability following the 8-week stabilization program
were −3.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], −3.2 to −4.4) and −7.4 (95% CI, −6.3 to −8.5),
respectively. Clinical test scores taken at baseline did not predict changes in pain
and disability at 8-week follow-up.
Conclusion
Our findings revealed that the DMC scale, CTTD, PLE test, clinical tests used to assess
motor control dysfunction, do not predict improvements in pain and disability in patients
with chronic nonspecific LBP following an 8-week lumbar stabilization exercise program.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
BMI (body mass index), CTTD (Clinical Test of Thoracolumbar Dissociation), DMC (Deep Muscle Contraction), LBP (low back pain), PLE (Passive Lumbar Extension)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 26, 2019
Footnotes
Disclosures: S.M.S. receives salary support from The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (1105040). The other authors have nothing to disclose.
Clinical Trial Registration No.: NCT02398760.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
