Locomotion behavior of chronic non-specific low back pain (cNSLBP) patient while walking through apertures

International audienceBACKGROUND AND AIM: NSLBP is characterized by symptoms without clear patho-anatomical causes and cLBP has been identified as one of the leading global causes of disability [1]. The majority of clinical trials assess cNSLBP using scales or questionnaires reporting an influence of cognitive, emotional and behavioral factors [2]. Previous studies have evaluated the motor consequences of cNSLBP using biomechanical analysis, showing alterations in the kinematics and dynamics of locomotion [3,4]. However, few studies have evaluated cNSLBP participants in ecological situations, such as walking with obstacles or avoidance, allowing a simultaneous evaluation of cognitive, perceptual and motor components in a situation closer to the one encountered in daily life. In this context, using a horizontal aperture crossing paradigm [5], this study aimed to 1) understand the effect of cNSLBP in action strategies and (2) identify factors that may influence these decisions. METHODS: Healthy adults (N=15) and cNSLBP adults (N=15) performed a walking protocol composed of 3 random blocks of 19 trials with aperture ranging from 0.9 to 1.8 x shoulder width. The dimensions of the obstacle causing an individual to change their actions (shoulders rotation, velocity, trunk stability) is referred to as the Critical Point (CP). RESULTS: In these preliminary results considering shoulder width, welch's t-test showed that the average CP in the healthy group was significantly larger (1.20 SD = 0.052) than the one of cNSLBP group (1.15, SD = 0.029) (t(20.08) = 3.07, p