Postural stability, fall risk and sensory integration of balance in discogenic low back pain

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Even though studies have reported impaired postural ability (PS) and risk of fall in non-specific low back pain (LBP), evidence is relatively scarce in terms of discogenic LBP or in persons with degenerative disc disorders of the lumbar spine. OBJECTIVE: To determine the differences in terms of PS, fall risk and sensory integration of balance in persons with discogenic LBP as compared to healthy controls. METHODS: A cross sectional comparative study was conducted on 60 participants, out of which 30 had discogenic LBP and 30 were healthy controls. The variables of interest included PS, fall risk score (FRS) and clinical test of sensory integration of balance (CTSIB), and the data was collected using Biodex Balance SystemTM SD, with higher scores signifying poorer outcomes. RESULTS: Persons with discogenic LBP scored significantly (p <  0.05) higher in terms of overall PS index [Mean difference = 2.33 (95% CI 1.38, 3.28)], anteroposterior PS index [Mean difference = 1.87 (95% CI 0.84, 2.90)] and mediolateral PS index [Mean difference = 0.82 (95% CI 0.43, 1.21)], FRS [Mean difference = 2.92 (95% CI 2.36, 4.8)] and CTSIB [Mean difference = 1.67 (95% CI 1.28, 2.06)] as compared to healthy controls. Both healthy controls and persons with discogenic LBP revealed higher anteroposterior postural stability index as compared to mediolateral postural stability index (p <  0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Persons with discogenic low back pain exhibit greater risk of fall and poorer postural stability and sensory integration of balance as compared to healthy controls. It is suggested that fall risk, postural stability and sensory integration of balance should be considered as outcome measures in clinical management of such patients.