Test-retest Reliability of EMG β-Band Intermuscular Coherence of Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain During Flexion-extension Task

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the reliability and agreement of the Beta-band Intermuscular Coherence (Bb-IMC) as a clinical assessment tool for Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain (NS-CLBP) patients and healthy subjects by studying four phases of the Flexion-Extension Task (F-ET): standing, flexion, relaxation, and extension phases. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four men with NS-CLBP and 20 healthy subjects voluntarily participated in this study. All subjects performed three trials of F-ET while the surface electromyography was recorded from the lumbar erector spinal, gluteus maximus, and hamstring muscles of both sides. Beta-band intermuscular coherence analysis was used to calculate the pool coherence and the pairwise coherence for all mentioned muscles. Afterward, the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), and Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) for four phases of F-ET were used to analyze the intra- rater reliability and agreement of the measurements. Results: The investigation of ICC, SEM, and MDC showed that the reliability was moderate to a high level for pool and pairwise coherence of Bb-IMC in all mentioned muscles for four phases of the flexion-extension task in NS-CLBP patients and healthy subjects. Yet, the agreement was low because the measurement error was relatively large. Conclusion: So far, no studies have used the Bb-IMC method to study low back pain, which is carried out in our research to check the reliability of this new method. Our findings revealed that pool and pairwise coherence obtained during F-ET have moderate to a high level of reliability for using Bb-IMC and could be considered a tool for the NS-CLBP patients’ assessment. Despite the small sample size investigated, in clinical practice the using Bb-IMC measure can help to study the interaction of corticospinal in NS-CLBP and also in healthy subjects. This measure requires larger sample sizes in addition to studying other circumstances and functional movements such as lifting weight. Further, more research appears to be warranted by the observed effectiveness of a particular intervention in modulation mechanisms of corticospinal tract function by Bb-IMC in NS-CLBP.

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Gluteal muscle recruitment during level, incline and stair ambulation in healthy subjects and chronic low back pain patients

Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation ◽

10.3233/bmr-2008-21307 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 193-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

H. Himmelreich ◽

L. Vogt ◽

W. Banzer

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Chronic Low Back Pain ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Low Back ◽

Muscle Recruitment ◽

Gluteal Muscle ◽

Stair Ambulation ◽

Pain Patients

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Chronic Low Back Pain: The Therapeutic Benefits of Diagnostic Medial Branch Nerve Blocks

January 2018 - Pain Physician ◽

10.36076/ppj.2021.24.e521 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. E521-E528

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Nerve Block ◽

Chronic Low Back Pain ◽

Facet Joint ◽

Small Sample ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Medial Branch ◽

Low Back ◽

Therapeutic Benefits

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is an extremely prevalent disease, whose etiology is often multifactorial. Facet joint arthropathy is one of the most common causes of CLBP. Facet joints are innervated by the medial branches of the primary and adjacent level dorsal rami and are, therefore, key potential targets for the symptomatic management of CLBP. A lumbar medial branch nerve block (MBB) procedure is often used to assist in the diagnosis of facet mediated CLBP. For unclear reasons, some patients experience protracted relief of CLBP after diagnostic MBBs alone. OBJECTIVE: To describe the phenomenon of protracted relief of CLBP after diagnostic MBBs and search for predictors of this response. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent MBB procedures by a single practitioner, over a 2 year period, was conducted. SETTING: All patients were seen at the Montefiore Multidisciplinary Pain Program, Bronx, NY. METHODS: Data from follow up visits was used to categorize patient’s response to MBBs as having no relief (NR), transient relief (TR) or protracted relief (PR). Patient demographics and characteristics were collected, and a multivariate analysis investigating associations with PR was conducted. RESULTS: 146 patients met inclusion criteria. 41 patients (28%) had NR, 54 (37%) had TR, and 51 (35%) had PR. CLBP symptom duration of < 6 months (P = 0.013) and unilateral back pain symptoms (P = 0.0253) were significantly associated with PR after MBB. LIMITATION: This is a retrospective study with a relatively small sample size conducted on patients belonging to a single practitioner. Outcomes were based largely on subjective patient satisfaction scores. CONCLUSIONS: In select patients, MBB may produce protracted relief of CLBP symptoms. The authors present distinct hypotheses which may help explain the therapeutic effects of diagnostic MBB procedures. KEY WORDS: Chronic low back pain, facet joint, medial branch nerve block

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An application of pattern recognition for the comparison of trunk muscles EMG waveforms between subjects with and without chronic low back pain during flexion–extension and lateral bending tasks

Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology ◽

10.1016/s1050-6411(00)00013-4 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 261-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Christian Larivière ◽

Denis Gagnon ◽

Patrick Loisel

Keyword(s):

Pattern Recognition ◽

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Chronic Low Back Pain ◽

Trunk Muscles ◽

Low Back ◽

Lateral Bending ◽

Flexion Extension

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The Amount and Temporal Structure of Center of Pressure Fluctuations During Quiet Standing in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

Motor Control ◽

10.1123/mc.2018-0032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 91-112

Author(s):

Fatemeh Azadinia ◽

Ismail Ebrahimi-Takamjani ◽

Mojtaba Kamyab ◽

Morteza Asgari ◽

Mohamad Parnianpour

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Chronic Low Back Pain ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Postural Sway ◽

Center Of Pressure ◽

Pressure Fluctuations ◽

Quiet Standing ◽

Low Back ◽

Nonlinear Parameters

The characteristics of postural sway were assessed in quiet standing under three different postural task conditions in 14 patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain and 12 healthy subjects using linear and nonlinear center of pressure parameters. The linear parameters consisted of area, the mean total velocity, sway amplitude, the SD of velocity, and the phase plane portrait. The nonlinear parameters included the Lyapunov exponent, sample entropy, and the correlation dimension. The results showed that the amount of postural sway was higher in the patients with low back pain compared with the healthy subjects. Assessing the nonlinear parameters of the center of pressure showed a lower sample entropy and a higher correlation dimension in the patients with low back pain compared with the healthy subjects. The results of this study demonstrate the greater regularity and higher dimensionality of the center of pressure fluctuations in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain, which suggests that these patients adopt different postural control strategies to maintain an upright stance.

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Comparison of Selective Local and Global Muscle Thicknesses in Females with and without Chronic Low Back Pain

Ortopedia Traumatologia Rehabilitacja ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0012.1473 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 197-204 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Mahnaz Aboufazeli ◽

Mohammad Akbari ◽

Ali Ashraf Jamshidi ◽

Mohammad Saleh Jafarpisheh

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Chronic Low Back Pain ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Muscle Thickness ◽

Gluteus Medius ◽

Transversus Abdominis ◽

Low Back ◽

Lumbar Multifidus ◽

Sample Test

Background. Chronic low back pain (LBP) leads to long-term physical and psychological problems and may result in acute deterioration of the pain. It is hypothesized that size changes in selected limb and pelvis muscles during contracting movements are different between healthy individuals and LBP patients. Materials and methods. A case-control study including two groups of 30 female participants with and without LBP symptoms was designed. Participants were 20-45 years old (36.7±6.7, healthy subjects; 34.6±6.2 LBP subjects). Ultrasonography was used to estimate the thicknesses of the quadratus lumborum (QL), gluteus medius (GMed), transversus abdominis (TrA) and lumbar multifidus (MF). Thickness changes of the muscles in a submaximal contracting position compared to the rest position were measured. Statistical analysis included an independent t-test to determine the significance of differences, and the Kolmogrov-Smirnov two-sample test to evaluate the normality and reliability. Results. All muscles increased their thickness during contractions. The average increase in LBP subjects was lower than in the healthy subjects. The smaller increase in the muscle thickness of GMed in the LBP group may suggest a weakness because of imbalance in the GMed muscle of LBP patients. Conclusions. 1. Ultrasonography of local and global muscles is an appropriate device for clinical diagnosis of LBP. 2. Strengthening TrA, MF, and GMed muscles for pain prevention is effective in the prevention and treatment of LBP.

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