Objective To compare postural balance ability in patients with low back pain between groups with and without lumbosacral radiculopathy.
Methods Patients who were referred for electromyography because of low back pain during the period from April 2017 through June 2018 were chosen as subjects. They were divided into groups with and without lumbosacral radiculopathy based on the results of electromyography. We used Tetrax (Sunlight Medical Ltd., Ramat Gan, Israel) to objectively evaluate postural balance ability, and to measure the fall risk, stability index, weight distribution index, and Fourier index.
Results Patients in the lumbosacral radiculopathy group showed significantly higher fall risk (73.25 vs. 38.00; p<0.05), weight distribution index (8.57 vs. 5.00; p<0.05), and stability index (21.19 vs. 13.16; p<0.05) than those in the group without lumbosacral radiculopathy. The Fourier index at high-medium frequency was significantly increased in the lumbosacral radiculopathy group (8.27 vs. 5.56; p<0.05), whereas weight-bearing on the side of radiculopathy was significantly decreased.
Conclusion Patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy have decreased postural balance compared with patients without this condition. Somatosensory disturbances in lumbosacral radiculopathy might cause postural balance impairment. Assessment and treatment plan not only for pain reduction but also for postural balance improvement should be considered in the management of patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Lumbar radiculopathy and fracture risk: A Korean nationwide population-based cohort study Sangsoo Han, Han-Dong Lee, Hae-Dong Jang, Dong Hun Suh, Kyungdo Han, Jae-Young Hong Bone.2024; 179: 116981. CrossRef
MODERN PRINCIPLES OF PATIENT MANAGEMENT WITH LUMBOSACRAL RADICULOPATHY (LITERATURE REVIEW) Vitaliy P. Gubenko, Serhii S. Sovhyra, Anatolii A. Vasylkov, Andriy V. Fedosenko, Dmytro E. Lytvynenko, Natalia P. Slobodyanyuk Clinical and Preventive Medicine.2024; (7): 164. CrossRef
Another Look at Fatigued Individuals with and without Chronic Ankle Instability: Posturography and Proprioception Nili Steinberg, Gal Elias, Aviva Zeev, Jeremy Witchalls, Gordon Waddington Perceptual and Motor Skills.2023; 130(1): 260. CrossRef
Exploring effects of Egoscue versus lumbar stabilisation exercises for lower crossed syndrome on postural stability and hyperlordotic posture correction S.E. Sequeira, P. Gurudut, V. Kage Comparative Exercise Physiology.2023; 19(3): 223. CrossRef
Effect of Weak-part Strengthening Training and Strong-part Relaxation Therapy on Static Balance, Muscle Strength Asymmetry, and Proprioception in the Gluteus Medius: Immediate Effect Analysis Eun-Bi Choi, Yu-Jin Jung, Dongyeop Lee, Ji-Heon Hong, Jae-Ho Yu, Jin-Seop Kim, Seong-Gil Kim Journal of The Korean Society of Physical Medicine.2022; 17(2): 11. CrossRef
Vibration Perception Threshold and Related Factors for Balance Assessment in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Jisang Jung, Min-Gyu Kim, Youn-Joo Kang, Kyungwan Min, Kyung-Ah Han, Hyoseon Choi International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2021; 18(11): 6046. CrossRef