Article

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP)
would have reduced paraspinal muscle activity when wearing a heat wrap and that
this would be associated with increased stature recovery and short-term
improvements in psychological factors. DESIGN: A within-subject repeated-measures
design. Muscle activity and stature recovery were assessed before and after a
40-minute unloading period, both without a heat wrap and after 2 hours of wear.
Questionnaires were completed after both sessions.
SETTING: Hospital
physiotherapy department. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with CLBP (n=24; age, 48.0+/-9.0
y; height, 166.6+/-7.3 cm; body mass, 80.2+/-12.9 kg) and asymptomatic
participants (n=11; age, 47.9+/-15.4 y; height, 168.7+/-11.6 cm; body mass,
69.3+/-13.1 kg) took part in the investigation. Patients on the waiting list for
2 physiotherapist-led rehabilitation programs, and those who had attended the
programs during the previous 2 years, were invited to participate. INTERVENTION:
Superficial heat wrap.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Paraspinal muscle activity, stature
recovery over a 40-minute unloading period, pain, disability, and psychological
factors. RESULTS: For the CLBP patients only, the heat wrap was associated with a
reduction in nonnormalized muscle activity and a positive short-term effect on
self-report of disability, pain-related anxiety, catastrophizing, and
self-efficacy. Changes in muscle activity were correlated with changes in stature
recovery, and both were also correlated to changes in psychological factors.
CONCLUSIONS: Use of the heat wrap was associated with a decrease in muscle
activity and a short-term improvement in certain aspects of well-being for the CLBP patients. The results confirm the link between the biomechanical and
psychological outcome measures.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS