Abstract
Determining the effect of body composition on chronic low back pain seems to have the potential to improve our understanding of its mechanism and to develop novel preventive and therapeutic approaches.Aim: The purpose of the present study was to assess by electrical impedance the composition of lower extremities of individuals with chronic low back pain. One hundred and twenty-one adult participants with diagnosed chronic low back pain were recruited in this study. The study activities were divided into three phases: phase 1 - self-administered questionnaires, phase 2 - biomedical examination (including anthropometric measurements and physical function performance tests), and phase 3 - bioimpedance analysis. Our results showed that chronic low back pain differentiates the circumference of thigh and calf of the symptomatic leg. Besides, patients experience pain also in hip, thigh, and calf, which act as a barrier to patient's personal, professional, social, and recreational activities. Furthermore, patients appear with 'unstable' walking, reduced balance, and reduced general physical condition that affect all of the neuromuscular structures of the locomotor system. Interestingly, patients seem to be characterized by a tendency to deposit fat and to decrease muscle mass in the symptomatic limb regardless of the gender. In the present study, we determine the profile of a patient with chronic low back pain through a variety of measurements. Chronic low back pain causes several structural changes to the symptomatic leg of the patients leading to 'unstable' walking, reduced balance, and reduced general physical condition. It is clear that further studies using bioimpedance analysis are needed to address the concerns raised by investigating a multifactorial condition such as chronic low back pain.
Highlights
Determining the effect of body composition on chronic low back pain seems to have the potential to improve our understanding of its mechanism and to develop novel preventive and therapeutic approaches
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is reported as a favourable alternative to dual energy X-ray absorptiometry as a screening tool for sarcopenia and osteoporosis among patients with low back pain.[6]
Forty male and eighty-one female patients with diagnosed chronic low back pain participated in our study
Summary
Determining the effect of body composition on chronic low back pain seems to have the potential to improve our understanding of its mechanism and to develop novel preventive and therapeutic approaches. Chronic low back pain causes several structural changes to the symptomatic leg of the patients leading to ‘unstable’ walking, reduced balance, and reduced general physical condition. Chronic back pain is one of the major challenging health problems in Western societies[1] and the leading cause of disability and productivity loss worldwide with a lifetime prevalence of up to 84% for the adult patient population.[2] Due to its high prevalence, lower back pain has a major impact on the health care system; annually, the total cost of back pain worldwide is estimated at about billions of dollars.[3] In addition to pain and disability, high muscle tension, low self-efficacy, and depression are common side effects of chronic back pain.[4] it appears essential to identify effective and economical prevention options and treatments for chronic back pain and associated impairments. In a recent study, BIA was found to be beneficial for measuring trunk muscle mass in patients with low back pain.[7]
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