The association between trunk muscle endurance and lumbar-pelvic instability in adolescent LBP
Date
2011-05-17
Authors
Lewis, Francoise
Journal Title
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Abstract
The Association between Trunk Muscle Endurance and
Lumbar-Pelvic Instability in Adolescent Low Back Pain
Françoise Lewis
Supervisors: Wendy-Anne Wood, Benita Naude.
Low back pain (LBP) is a common cause of discomfort in modern
society, and the prevalence of LBP in the adolescent population is
high and has a predictive value for the occurrence of LBP as an
adult.
The aim of the study was to investigate the association between
adolescent LBP and trunk muscle endurance and lumbar-pelvic
instability, as well as the association between trunk muscle
endurance and lumbar-pelvic instability. Sports and physical
activity participation, sedentary activity participation and a family history were also investigated as they have been identified in
previous studies as potential risk factors.
The study was a cross sectional study of 80 adolescents in grade
8 to grade 11, aged 12 to 17 year , at three high schools in Gauteng, who agreed to participate in the study. Data was
collected by means of a validated questionnaire and a physical examination. The level of significance for as sociated factors was
set at 0.05.
The results revealed a lifetime prevalence of 82.50%, one year
prevalence of 78.80% and point prevalence of 23.80%.
Adolescents with LBP have decreased endurance of the trunk
extensor muscles but increased endurance of the trunk flexor
muscles, which is statistically significant (p=0.044) . Lumbar-pelvic instability is not associated with adolescent LBP. Extensor
trunk muscle endurance and poor lumbar pelvic stability show an
association (p=0.031), with those adolescents with decreased
trunk extensor muscle endurance presenting with poor lumbar-pelvic stability.
A family history of LBP is significant for point prevalence of LBP
(p=0.012), and one-year prevalence of LBP is marginally
significant (p=0.086). Low activity level particpation was reported
by a large percentage of all subjects. Sedentary activity
participation is moderate in the LBP group, but the results are not
statistically significant .
There is a need for preventative srategies to decrease the
prevalence of adolescent LBP. Increased awareness of LBP and
potential risk factors needs to be addressed.
Description
MSc, Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
Keywords
low back pain, trunk muscle