The impact of lumbosacral alignment on lumbar mobility, functional disability and psychological wellbeing in office workers with chronic low back pain

Abstract

Background/aims The lumbosacral curvature of the spine has a special role in its mobility during weight-bearing activities. Office work is a sedentary role, which requires sitting for long durations, having a negative effect on spinal posture. Therefore, low back pain risk factors in office workers are different from other populations. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of lumbosacral joint angle on the lumbar mobility, functional disability, pain intensity and overall health in office workers with chronic low back pain. Methods A total of 116 male office workers with chronic low back pain (aged between 30–59 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. The lumbosacral radiography was used to divide the participants into two groups, according to the value of their lumbosacral joint angle: group A (lumbosacral joint angle <20°, n=61) and group B (lumbosacral joint angle group >20°, n=55). The lumbar mobility, functional disability, pain intensity and overall health issues of participants were measured. Results The functional disability and pain intensity of individuals in group A were significantly higher than group B (P<0.05). There was a significant decrease in the lumbar flexion and extension range of motion and activities of daily living of those in group A compared to group B (P<0.05). There was a significant increase in emotional health problems and impaired social activity of individuals in group A compared to group B (P<0.05). There were fair positive correlations between lumbosacral joint angle values and functional disability, pain intensity and social activity in office workers in group B (r=0.292, 0.036, 0.333 respectively). Conclusions A decreased lumbosacral joint angle increases functional disability and pain intensity, decreasing lumbar mobility and level of functionality. Furthermore, it reduces emotional health and social activity in participants with low back pain. Therefore, measuring the lumbosacral joint angle of patients with chronic low back pain during treatment may be useful to decrease their pain intensity and improve their functional disability and quality of life.