1b.

Lumbar spine accessory movements, used by therapists in the treatment of patients with low back pain, is thought to decrease paravertebral muscular activity; however there is little research to support this suggestion. This study investigated the effects of lumbar spine accessory movements on surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of erector spinae.A condition randomised, placebo controlled, repeated measures design was used. sEMG measurements were recorded from 36 asymptomatic subjects following a control, placebo and central posteroanterior (PA) mobilisation to L3 each for 2 min. The therapist stood on a force platform while applying the PA mobilisation to quantify the force used. The PA mobilisation applied to each subject had a mean maximum force of 103.3 N, mean amplitude of force oscillation of 41.1 N, and a frequency of 1.2 Hz. Surface electromyographic data were recorded from the musculature adjacent to L3, L5 and T10.There were statistically significant reductions of 15.5% (95% CI: 8.0-22.5%) and 17.8% (95% CI: 12.9-22.4%) in mean sEMG values following mobilisation compared with the control and placebo, respectively.This study demonstrates that a central PA mobilisation to L3 results in a statistically significant decrease in the sEMG activity of erector spinae of an asymptomatic population.

Patients with chronic back pain as a result of degenerated disc disease, besides pain, also present with impaired gait. The purpose of the article was to evaluate kinetic and kinematic characteristics during gait analysis in patients with chronic low back pain as a result of degenerated disc disease, before and after the application of physiotherapy, including manual therapy techniques. Seventy-five patients suffering from chronic low back pain were randomly divided into 3 groups of 25 each. Each group received five sessions (one per week) of interventions with the first group receiving manual therapy treatment, the second a sham treatment and the third, classic physiotherapy (stretching exercises, TENS and massage). The effectiveness of each treatment was evaluated using an optoelectronic system for recording and analysis of gait (kinetic and kinematic data). Patients overall showed an impaired gait pattern with a difference in kinetic and kinematic data between the left and the right side. Following the application of the above-named interventions, only the group that received manual therapy showed a tendency towards symmetry between the right and left side. In patients suffering from chronic low back pain as a result of degenerated disc disease, the application of five manual therapy sessions seems to produce a tendency towards symmetry in gait.

Early detection of scoliosis with school screening and quick, easy, and reliable assessment of its progress are of paramount importance in the management of patients. There have been several tools described, with the most common being the analog scoliometer. Most recently, smartphone applications have entered this area with and without the use of sleeves for the device. There is no research that has evaluated the accuracy of measurements both left and right in either digital or analog devices. In this study, we evaluated the reliability and validity of a new digital scoliometer called the Scolioscope. Thirty subjects were included for the intra-rater reliability study. ICC values >0.9 were calculated both for same-day and between-day measurements. The device was highly accurate with an average difference from the ones set on the sine bar of 0.03° for right-side measurements and 0.18° for the left. These measurements suggest a highly accurate and reliable tool.