Introduction: Exercise therapy is the primary endorsed form of conservative treatment for chronic low back pain (LBP). However, there is still conflicting evidence on which exercise intervention is best. While motor control exercise can lead to morphological and functional improvements of lumbar multifidus muscle in individuals with chronic LBP, the effects of exercise prescription on multifidus stiffness assessed via shear wave elastography are still unknown. The primary aim of this study is to determine the effects of a combined motor control and isolated lumbar extension (MC + ILEX) intervention on lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness.
Methods: A total of 25 participants aged 18 to 65 were recruited from local orthopedic clinics and the university community with moderate to severe non-specific chronic LBP. Participants performed a 12-week MC + ILEX intervention program. Stiffness of the lumbar multifidus muscle (primary outcome) at L4 and L5 was obtained at baseline, 6-week, and 12-week using shear wave elastography. Changes in stiffness ratio (e.g., ratio of lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness from rest to contracted) were also assessed at both time points. Pre to post-intervention changes in lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness were assessed using a one-way repeated measure ANOVA.
Results: Following the 12-week intervention, there were no statistically significant changes in lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness at rest on the right side at L4 ( = 0.628) and the left side at L4 and L5 ( = 0.093, = 0.203), but a statistically significant decrease was observed on the right side at L5 ( = 0.036). There was no change in lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness ratio.
Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that a 12-week MC + ILEX intervention had minimal effect on lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness in individuals with chronic LBP. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings and clarify the relationship between muscle stiffness and functional outcomes.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11385609 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1336544 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Research Progress on the Posterior Midline Lumbar Spinous Process-Splitting Approach.
Orthop Surg
January 2025
Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
The traditional posterior median approach laminectomy is widely used for lumbar decompression. However, the bilateral dissection of paraspinal muscles during this procedure often leads to postoperative muscle atrophy, chronic low back pain, and other complications. The posterior midline spinous process-splitting approach (SPSA) offers a significant advantage over the traditional approach by minimizing damage to the paraspinal muscles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrength and endurance of the lumbar extensor muscles and their predictors: A cross-sectional study in healthy subjects.
J Electromyogr Kinesiol
December 2024
Department of Neurology, Center for Neuromuscular Diseases (Associated National Center in the European Reference Network ERN EURO-NMD), University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia; Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia; Department of Rehabilitation, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to present the values of maximal isometric lumbar extensor muscle strength (MILEMS) and lumbar extensor muscle endurance (LEME) in healthy subjects and to study the influence of physiological factors on these parameters. MILEMS using a hand-held dynamometer in three positions (prone, sitting, standing) and LEME using the Biering-Sørensen test were assessed in 115 healthy volunteers. The MILEMS measurements for the specific positions were correlated with each other (Pearson correlation coefficients 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParavertebral muscle degeneration affects coronal balance in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis.
World Neurosurg
January 2025
School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Rd, Hangzhou 310058, P.R. China; Orthopaedics Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 1511 Jianghong Rd, Hangzho 310014, P.R. China. Electronic address:
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of paraspinal muscle (PSM) degeneration on coronal balance in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 127 DLS patients who underwent spinal fusion surgery were reviewed. Preoperative X-rays and MRIs were used to assess PSM degeneration, measured by the cross-sectional area (CSA) and fat infiltration rate (FIR) of the multifidus (MF) and erector spinae (ES) muscles. The ratios of the convex to concave sides, namely RCSA and RFIR, were calculated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpinopelvic malalignment correlates to lumbar instability and lumbar musculature in chronic low back pain-an exploratory study.
Sci Rep
December 2024
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
As PI-LL mismatch is an effective index for spinal surgery and PI-LL less than 10 probably indicates better quality of life, this study aimed to assess spinopelvic parameters, lumbar instability, and lumbar muscle morphology in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) with different PI-LL mismatches. This cross-sectional study included 158 CLBP patients. The association between lumbar extensor muscle morphology (measured from magnetic resonance imaging) and spinopelvic parameters (measured from standing lateral radiographs) and lumbar instability (measured from lumbar flexion/extension radiographs) was compared between two groups of patients with different PI-LL mismatch.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroscopic changes in the multifidus muscle in people with low back pain associated with lumbar disc herniation.
Sci Rep
December 2024
Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain (CPR Spine), School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common degenerative condition causing low back pain (LBP) due to nerve compression. Previous studies show conflicting findings regarding the multifidus (MF) muscle's microscopic changes in LDH patients. So, this study aimed to compare the affected MF to the adjacent MF on the ipsilateral and contralateral sides in LDH patients and examined correlations with clinical features of LBP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!