German Clinical Trials Register

Acronym/abbreviation of the study

SpineBiomechLBP

URL of the study

No Entry

Brief summary in lay language

One in five persons between the ages of 20 and 59 years suffers from chronic low back pain. In 90% of all cases, the cause of pain is unknown and the treatment success thus relatively low. A profound knowledge of the underlying mechanisms that lead to chronic low back pain would allow to optimize treatment methods and preventive strategies in order to improve pain management. Therefore, we would like to biomechanically analyze the spine of 20 patients with chronic low back pain during everyday functional activities and to compare the data with those of healthy controls. The study-specific examinations will take place in the movement laboratory of the Bern University of Applied Sciences and include the following: • Clinical measurement of joint range of motion as well as muscle strength. • Assessment of pain intensity and level of disability using questionnaires (only in patients) • Biomechanical measurements of the spine during functional activities (sitting, standing, standing up from a chair, vertical jumps, forward/backward leaning and walking) using non-invasive motion analysis systems.

Brief summary in scientific language

Given the weak effects of current treatment methods for non-specific CLBP, a deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms from a biomechanical point of view appears to be of high importance. Most available biomechanical studies investigating the spine of CLBP-patients during dynamic functional activities used simple kinematic or surface electromyography parameters (Christe et al. 2016, Gombatto et al. 2015, Dubois et al. 2014), allowing only very limited conclusions on possible underlying mechanisms. One reason for the choice of these relatively simple parameters could be that the reliable assessment of the spine during functional activities using more complex biomechanical parameters is challenging and understudied throughout the scientific literature. However, recent advancements in the fields of marker-based motion capturing and musculoskeletal modelling provide the required tools to study biomechanical parameters of the spine such as curvature and inter-segmental angles as well as compressive, shear and individual muscle forces (Ignasiak et al. 2016a&2016b, Schmid et al. 2016a&2016b). Primary objective: To evaluate sagittal plane kinematics as well as segmental loading and muscle forces of the spine during daily activities (i.e. standing, sitting, chair rising, vertical jumping, bending forward/backward and walking) in patients with CLBP in comparison with data of healthy controls. Secondary objectives: - To compare a portable assessment tool for measuring sagittal plane spinal kinematics (Epionics SPINE system) with the standard camera based method (VICON motion capture system) and to evaluate its inter- and intra-session reliability. - To compare a portable assessment tool for measuring lower extremity kinematics (myon aktos-t) with the standard camera based method (VICON motion capture system) and to evaluate its inter- and intra-session reliability. - To investigate the relationship between sagittal plane spinal kinematics and clinical outcome measures such as level of disability (Oswestry Disability Index, ODI) and pain (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS) as well as joint range of motion and muscle strength.