Changes in Trunk Kinematics in People with Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain Using Wearable Inertial Sensors

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions and the leading cause of disability, and 8 out of 10 people have experienced it during their lifetime. No pathological changes are found in 85 percent of all LBP cases, called non-specific LBP. Muscle stiffness and movement impairment or limitation are commonly found in people with non-specific LBP. The remaining 15% are caused by disc disease, spinal stenosis, fractures with obvious causes, structural changes that are visible on examination, and tumors. Purpose: To determine trunk kinematics in non-specific chronic LBP during activities. Methods: We used to conduct a cross-sectional study design. A total of 90 participants (45 participants with LBP and 45 without LBP), aged between 18 and 50, participated in this study. The full-body wearable Xsens system (MVN, Xsens technologies, Netherlands) was used to record the 3D movements during the trunk flexion extension and hurdle step. The back range of motion (ROM) in the sagittal, frontal, and transversal planes was calculated using a relative orientation between pelvis and thorax segments and averaged for the LBP and control group. Results: The LBP group exhibited smaller trunk ROMs than controls during the flexion extension. In contrast, trunk ROMs were higher in people with LBP during the hurdle step except for rotation transversal. Conclusion: Altered trunk kinematics during the flexion-extension and hurdle step was observed in individuals with non-specific chronic LBP.