Comparison of Lumbar Proprioception as Measured in Unrestrained Standing in Individuals With Disc Replacement, With Low Back Pain and Without Low Back Pain

Discrimination of Amount of Spinal Flexion for Movements Made with and without Vision after Lumbar Disc Replacement

“…This view is consistent with the observation that when age was added as a covariate in the data analysis, there was no significant difterence between the two groups. A previous sfudy of patients with disc replacement who were compared with patients who had chronic disc-pain and normal healthy pardcipants, also using age as a covariate (Hobbs, et al, 2010), similarly yielded no difterence between the disc-replacement group and healthy group in discrimination of spinal movement. In other research, Lansade, Laporte, Thoreux, Rousseau, Skalli, and Lavaste (2009) found, in a repositioning test for the cervical spine, that proprioception was reduced in the older group (>80 years), and Vuillerme, Pinsault, and Bouvier (2008) reported a similar finding for healthy older adults (M age = 68 yr.) when they were compared with healthy younger adults (M age = 23 yr.).…”

“…The method used to measure acfive movement discrimination for forward-flexion movements at the lumbar spine was that used by Hobbs, et al (2010) and involved the use of a purpose-built Active Movement-Extent Discriminafion Apparatus (AMEDA). This apparatus (Fig.…”

“…This training may produee an adaptation in the dise-replaeement group, sueh that they rely more on vision for making diserimination of the spinal movements neeessary for postural eontrol. Henee the surgieal group may have similar ability to diseriminate lumbar spine movements as individuals with normal healthy spines, but they may use difterent sensory meehanisms to aehieve this, A previous study involving diserimination of aetive movements in lumbar spine flexion has employed a standing position, without restraint of body parts, and with general vision available (Hobbs, et al, 2010). In that study, healthy normal and dise-replaeement groups did not difter in terms of their ability to diseriminate lumbar forward flexion movements.…”

“…As there is potendal for return to high activity following disc-replacement surgery, it is important to maximise control around the lumbar spine (Siepe, Wiechert, Khaftab, Korge, & Mayer, 2007). A previous study in which discrimination of forward flexion movements was compared in three groups, two with discogenic pain (one of these following lumbar disc-replacement surgery) and one of healthy controls, indicated discrimination of movement was heightened in range around 11° for the back pain group but not in the surgical and no back-pain groups who were not significantly difterent (Hobbs, Adams, Shirley, & Hillier, 2010).…”

“…The aim of the present study was to use the same method to investigate whether having vision available alters diserimination of the extent of lumbar-fiexion movements and whether those individuals who have undergone lumbar dise-replaeement surgery perform difterently than normal healthy parfieipants in the same eonditions. Data from the previous study (Hobbs, et al, 2010) indieate that if the eapability of the surgieal group to diseriminate between spinal movements with vision oeeluded was redueed from an antieipated mean seore of 0,73 by 0.13 (one standard deviation), if there were 20 partieipants in eaeh of two groups, power would be 0,88 to deteet this difterenee.…”