Article

In spite of the importance of stair-climbing (SC) as an activity of daily living,
3D spinal motion during SC has not been investigated in association with low back
pain (LBP). The purpose of this research is to investigate the differences of the
spinal motions during SC between an LBP group and a healthy control group, in
order to provide insight into the LBP effect on the spinal motions. During two
types of SC tests (single and double step SCs), we measured 3D angular motions
(flexion/extension, lateral bending, and twist) of the pelvis, lumbar spine and
thoracic spine using an inertial sensing-based, portable spinal motion
measurement system. For the nine motion variables (i.e. three anatomical planes x
three segments), range of motions (ROM) and movement patterns were compared to
determine the differences between the two groups. It was found that the only
variable having the p-value of a t-test lower than 0.05 was the flexion/extension
of the lumbar spine in both SCs (i.e. the LBP group's ROM<the control group's
ROM). Although the strength of this finding is limited due to the small number of
subjects (i.e. 10 subjects for each group) and the small ROM differences between
the groups, the comparison result of the t-test along with the motion pattern
shows that the effect of LBP during SC may be localized to the lumbar spinal
flexion/extension, making it an important measure to be considered in the
rehabilitation and treatment of LBP patients.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS