HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sullivan, M S. Articles by Riddle, D. L Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sullivan, M S. Articles by Riddle, D. L Related Collections Injuries and Conditions: Low Back Tests and Measurements Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

The Relationship of Lumbar Flexion to Disability in Patients With Low Back Pain

M Scott Sullivan, Lisa Donegan Shoaf and Daniel L Riddle

MS Sullivan, PT, PhD, was Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, when this study was conducted
LD Shoaf, PT, MS, is Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University
DL Riddle, PT, PhD, is Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1200 East Broad, Richmond, VA 23298-0024 (USA) (driddle{at}hsc.vcu.edu). Address all correspondence to Dr Riddle

Background and Purpose. Physical therapists routinely assess spinal active range of motion (AROM) in patients with low back pain (LBP). The purpose of this study was to use 2 approaches to examine the relationship between impairment of lumbar spine flexion AROM and disability. One approach relied on the use of normative data to determine when an impairment in flexion AROM was present. The other approach required therapists to make judgments of whether the flexion AROM impairment was relevant to the patient's disability. Subjects. Fifteen physical therapists and 81 patients with LBP completed in the study. Methods. Patients completed the Roland-Morris Back Pain Questionnaire (RMQ), and the therapists assessed lumbar spine flexion AROM using a dual-inclinometer technique at the initial visit and again at discharge. Results. Correlations between the lumbar flexion AROM measure and disability were low and did not vary appreciably for the 2 approaches tested. Conclusion and Discussion. Measures of lumbar flexion AROM should not be used as surrogate measures of disability. Lumbar spine flexion AROM and disability are weakly correlated, suggesting that flexion AROM measures should not be used as treatment goals.

Key Words: Impairment • Low back pain • Range of motion • Roland-Morris Back Pain Questionnaire

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?