3D analysis of spino-pelvic alignment in individuals with acutely herniated lumber disc

What is it about?

Lumbar intervertebral disc herniation affects a large number of patients annually and are the most common cause of sciatica. This study was aimed at measuring the spino-pelvic alignment and its relation to the functional limitations in subjects with acutely herniated lumbar disc. Sixteen patients with acute Lumbar disc herniation (LDH group) and 16 healthy matched volunteers (healthy group) represented the sample of the study. The patients were recently diagnosed as lumbar disc herniation (L4-5 or L5-S1) with acute sciatica and antalgic posture using magnetic resonance imaging. Spino-pelvic alignment was measured via Rasterstereography. Functional disability among patients was assessed using Oswestry Disability Index Arabic version. Trunk inclination, trunk imbalance, Pelvic obliquity, Pelvic torsion, Lordotic and Scoliotic angles were significantly different between groups (P ≤ 0.05). A non-significant difference in Kyphotic angle was found between the patients and healthy controls. There was no association between the measured postural changes and functional disabilities in patients with lumbar disc herniation (P ≤ 0.05). There are significant postural changes in patients with acutely herniated lumbar disc which has no relation to functional disability. These results support the concept of staying active during acute stage.

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Why is it important?

In the present study there were no significant correlations between the postural changes and the functional limitations as measured by the ODI. Our results are in close agreement with many reports which postulated that there was no statistically significant relationship between the degree of symptoms and the radiologic findings and clinical findings are not always correlated with radiologic findings . These findings support the neural mechanism of low back pain associated with LDH more than the peripheral causes. Moreover, bed rest as a traditional conservative treatment for acute LDH should be limited to avoid muscle deconditioning .

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