INFLUENCES OF SPECIAL FOOTORTHOSES ON EMG AND PLANTAR PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN

Low back pain affects around 50% of pregnant women and presents significant morbidity and persistence for years in 20% of postpartum women who report that pain. Numerous studies have documented gait alterations during pregnancy and postpartum. Therefore, an analysis of the relationship between certain gait parameters and low back pain was attempted using low-cost validated instrumented insoles. This work presents a longitudinal cohort study carried out during routine gynecological follow-up visits in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy at an Obstetrics and Gynecology Service. Sample size was 62. Plantar pressure data were collected with specially designed instrumented insoles containing four force sensors to measure peak pressure, center of pressure, and stance phase time in each foot and in each pregnancy trimester. The analysis was carried out on a two-dimensional level, simultaneously considering the data from both feet using Hotelling’s T2 test. This longitudinal study detected relationships between certain gait parameter changes and low back pain during pregnancy. It revealed a cyclic tendency of low back pain prevalence with a maximum in the second trimester and a decrease in the third trimester, which was correlated with alterations of the pregnant gait: excessive foot pronation and rearfoot pressure increase.

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The effect of eight-week elastic walking exercise on the pattern of plantar pressure distribution in women with chronic low back pain during walking

Medical Journal of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and Health Services ◽

10.34172/mj.2021.012 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

pp. 713-721

Author(s):

Farnaz Seify ◽

Elahe Mamashli ◽

AmirAli Jafarnejadgero ◽

Mahrokh Dehghani ◽

Mohsen Katanchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Distribution Pattern ◽

Plantar Pressure ◽

Reaction Force ◽

Ground Reaction Forces ◽

Low Back ◽

Main Effect ◽

Reaction Forces ◽

Experimental Group

Background: Training of elastic walking is a new method for elasticity in gait and correction of the distribution pattern of plantar pressure in patients with low back pain during gait. This study aimed to investigate the distribution pattern of plantar pressure during gait in women with low back pain following 8 weeks-training of elastic walking. Methods: The present study was quasi-experimental. In this research, 20 women with low back pain were divided into control (n=11) and experimental (n=9) groups. Subjects from the experimental group performed elastic gait training for 3 sessions per week for 8 weeks while the control group didn’t have any exercise program. The plantar pressure variables included the peak of vertical ground reaction forces, the time to peak of ground reaction forces, loading rate, the peak of plantar pressure on the ten foot regions, the peak of ground reaction forces on the ten foot regions, and displacement of the pressure center in two internal-external (copx) and anterior-posterior (copy) lines. The distribution pattern of plantar pressure during gait was recorded by a foot scan system (Sampling rate 300 Hz) in pre-training and post-training. Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results: In the experimental group, the results of this study demonstrated lower peak vertical reaction force (FzMS component) during post-test compared with pre-test (P = 0.002). Moreover, findings showed that the main effect of group on peak pressure in the mid-foot region was significant (P = 0.011). The results showed no significant difference concerning the main effect of group, the main effect of time and effect, interaction time and group on peak vertical reaction force, displacement of pressure center, vertical loading rate, and walking stance time (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that training of elastic walking does not have a significant effect on stance time. Also, training of elastic walking in the experimental group reduced the peak vertical ground reaction force (FzMS component) during the post-test compared with the pre-test that can correct the walking pattern and improve the chronic low back pain.

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