Lumbar repositioning error in sitting: Healthy controls versus people with sitting-related non-specific chronic low back pain (flexion pattern)

Studies examining proprioception in non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) demonstrate contradictory results, and most of these studies have not correlated the presence of proprioceptive deficits with other clinical outcome measures. This study examined if proprioceptive deficits exist among a flexion pattern (FP) subgroup of patients with NSCLBP (NSCLBP-FP) and how such deficits relate to clinical measures of pain, disability, fear-avoidance and kinesiophobia. 15 patients with NSCLBP-FP were matched with 15 painfree participants. Lumbo-pelvic repositioning error (RE), pain, functional disability, fear-avoidance and kinesiophobia were evaluated. Participants were asked to reproduce a target position (neutral lumbopelvic posture) after five seconds of slump sitting. RE in each group was compared by evaluating constant error (CE), absolute error (AE) and variable error (VE). Both AE (p=0.002) and CE (p=0.006) were significantly larger in the NSCLBP-FP group, unlike VE (p=0.165) which did not differ between the groups. There were significant, moderate correlations in the NSCLBP-FP group between AE and functional disability (r=0.601, p=0.018), and between CE and fear-avoidance (r=-0.577, p=0.0024), but all other correlations were weak (r0.05). The results demonstrate increased lumbo-pelvic RE in a subgroup of NSCLBP patients, with the selected subgroup undershooting the target position. Overall, RE was only weakly to moderately correlated with clinical measures of pain, functional disability, fear-avoidance and kinesiophobia. The deficits observed are consistent with findings of altered motor control in patients with NSCLBP. The mechanisms underlying these RE deficits, and the most effective method of addressing these deficits, require further study.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Lumbar repositioning error in sitting: Healthy controls versus people with sitting-related non-specific chronic low back pain (flexion pattern) journaltitle: Manual Therapy articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2013.05.005 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.status: publishe