Sagittal lumbar motion during sit-to-stand task and its relation to balance in chronic stroke patients

Abstract

Background and purpose Sit-to-stand (STS) task requires the ability to maintain balance while pivoting the body mass over the feet. Following stroke, the rising ability from the seated position is reduced because of difficulty in generating timing and sufficient force in muscles of the trunk and lower limbs to propel the body mass vertically. The aims of this study were to analyze the sagittal lumbar range of motion (ROM) during STS task, calculate the total time of the task, and investigate their relations to balance in patients with chronic stroke. Patients and methods Thirty male patients with chronic stroke (mean age: 51.2±3.75 years) were included in this study. They were divided into two equal groups (group I and group II). Group I had a mild degree of spasticity, whereas group II had a moderate degree in the affected lower limb. Lumbar ROM before and after buttock lift-off (LO) and the total time of STS were recorded using three-dimensional motion analysis system. Balance was assessed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Results The patients in group I showed a significant increase of lumbar ROM before (P=0.02) and after (P=0.03) buttock LO and also in BBS scores (P=0.0001) as compared with the patients in group II. However, there was a significant reduction in STS duration in favor to group I compared with group II (P=0.01). In addition, there was a statistically significant moderate negative correlation between BBS scores and lumbar ROM before buttock LO in both groups (P Conclusion Patients suffering from stroke with moderate degree of spasticity show less lumbar ROM at pre-LO and post-LO phases than those with mild spasticity, and took longer time to execute STS task aiming to improve balance and postural stability.