Affiliations: [a] Physiotherapy Department, School of Health Sciences, University of Salford, Manchester, UK | [b] Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Athens, Greece
Abstract: BACKGROUND:
According to previously conducted studies, people with Low Back Pain (LBP)
present with static balance deficiencies. OBJECTIVE:
The aim of the present study was to compare static, as well as dynamic
balance ability between Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) and healthy subjects. METHODS:
The CLBP group comprised 17 subjects and the control group of 16 subjects,
matched for age, BMI and gender. The protocol applied compared the balance
ability when performing the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and the
static 1-leg stance position. The innovation introduced in the protocol was
that the participants performed not only the static 1-leg stance, but also
the dynamic SEBT on a force plate which recorded the target sway (TS), i.e.
the Center of Pressure (CoP) excursion. RESULTS:
The CLBP group had significantly reduced performance in SEBT, coupled with
greater static and dynamic TS values. Age and especially BMI also bear a
significant effect on SEBT execution. The inclusion of SEBT and TS derived
scores in a stepwise logistic regression equation lead to the correct
classification of 85% of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS:
Dynamic and static balance ability provide supplementary information for the
identification of the presence of CLBP, with dynamic balance being more
instrumental.
Keywords: Proprioception, Star Excursion Balance Test, body sway
