Paul S. Sung
The University of Scranton, USA
Title: A kinematic analysis for shoulder and pelvis coordination in subjects with and without recurrent Low back pain
Biography
Biography: Paul S. Sung
Abstract
This presentation is to compare the shoulder and pelvis kinematics based on range of motion (ROM), angular velocity, and relative phase (RP) values during trunk axial rotation. Nineteen subjects with recurrent low back pain (LBP) and 19 age-matched control subjects who are all right limb dominant participated in this study. All participants were asked to perform axial trunk rotation activities at a self-selected speed to the end of maximum range in standing position. The outcome measures included ROM, angular velocity, and RP on the shoulder and pelvis in the transverse plane and were analyzed based on the demographic characteristics between groups. The LBP group demonstrated decreased ROM (p=0.02) and angular velocity (p=0.02) for the pelvis; however, there was no group difference for the shoulder girdle. The ROM difference between the shoulder and pelvic transverse planes had a significant interaction with age (F=14.75, p=0.001). The LBP group demonstrated a higher negative correlation between the shoulder (r=-0.74, p=0.001) and pelvis (r=-0.72, p=0.001) as age increased while no significant correlations were found in the control group. The results of this study indicated that there was a difference in pelvic rotation in the transverse plane between groups during axial trunk rotation. This pattern of trunk movement decreased due to possible pelvic stiffness with neuromuscular constraints. Since subjects with recurrent LBP demonstrated decreased pelvic rotation compared to the shoulder for postural control, increased pelvic flexibility could enhance coordinated movement patterns in order to integrate spinal motion in subjects with recurrent LBP.