Background:
Investigation and discrimination of neuromuscular variables related to the complex aetiology of low back pain could contribute to clarifying the factors associated with symptoms.
Objective:
Analysing the discriminative power of neuromuscular variables in low back pain.
Methods:
This study compared muscle endurance, proprioception and isometric trunk assessments between women with low back pain (LBP,
) and a control group (CG,
). Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis of the data were performed.
Results:
The muscle endurance time (s) was shorter in the LBP group than in the CG (
) with values of 85.81 (37.79) and 134.25 (43.88), respectively. The peak torque (Nm/kg) for trunk extension was 2.48 (0.69) in the LBP group and 3.56 (0.88) in the GG (
); for trunk flexion, the mean torque was 1.49 (0.40) in the LBP group and 1.85 (0.39) in the CG (
). The repositioning error (degrees) before the endurance test was 2.66 (1.36) in the LBP group and 2.41 (1.46) in the CG (
), and after the endurance test, it was 2.95 (1.94) in the LBP group and 2.00 (1.16) in the CG (
). Furthermore, the variables showed discrimination between the groups (
), with 78.6% of the individuals with low back pain correctly classified in the LBP group. In turn, variables related to muscle activation showed no difference in discrimination between the groups (
).
Conclusion:
Based on these findings, the clinical management of low back pain should consist of both resistance and strength training, particularly in the extensor muscles.
