Discrimination of amount of spinal flexion for movements made with and without vision after lumbar disc replacement.

Discrimination of differences between small lumbar flexion movements made when standing may differ depending on whether vision is available. Dependence on general vision during trunk movements may be increased following surgery, in which an intervertebral disc is replaced with a prosthetic disc. This study investigated whether the availability of vision changed discrimination of small differences in lumbar forward flexion movement when standing for patients with lumbar disc replacement and healthy peers.

Comparison of lumbar proprioception as measured in unrestrained standing in individuals with disc replacement, with low back pain, and without low back pain.

Study Design: Cross-sectional laboratory study.

Objective: To determine whether individuals with spinal pain and those who have undergone spinal surgery have difficulty discriminating small movement differences using a spinal proprioception test for active flexion movements.

Background: Structures contributing to proprioception may be affected during disc replacement surgery.