Article

Low-back pain is an important cause of secondary disability in
transfemoral amputees. The primary aim of our study is to assess the differences
in lumbar spine kinematics during gait between transfemoral amputees with and
without low-back pain. DESIGN: Lumbar spine kinematics in three planes were
measured when the subjects walked in a motion analysis laboratory. Nine
transfemoral amputees with low-back pain, eight transfemoral amputees without
low-back pain, and six healthy, nonamputee subjects participated. RESULTS: The
Amputee Pain and Amputee No Pain groups were essentially the same in terms of all
demographic and potentially confounding variable measures. Transfemoral amputees
with low-back pain showed greater transverse plane rotational excursion in their
lumbar spine during walking when compared with transfemoral amputees without
low-back pain (P = 0.029; effect size = 1.03).
There were no significant
differences in sagittal or coronal plane lumbar spine excursions during walking
between these two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although our study design does not allow
for proving causation, increased transverse plane rotation has been associated
with intervertebral disc degeneration, suggesting that increased transverse plane
rotation secondary to walking with a prosthetic limb may be a causative factor in
the etiology of low-back pain in transfemoral amputees. Identifying differences
in lumbar motion can lead to potential preventative and therapeutic intervention
strategies.

Langue : ANGLAIS