Changes in Lumbo-Pelvic Coordination of Individuals With and Without Low Back Pain When Wearing a Hip Orthosis

• Main Authors: Matthew T. Ballard, Colin Drury, Babak Bazrgari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-07-01
• Series: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
• Subjects: low back pain; lumbo-pelvic coordination; orthosis; lumbopelvic rhythm; lumbar rotation; pelvic rotation
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fspor.2020.00090/full

Individuals with low back pain demonstrate an abnormal lumbo-pelvic coordination compared to back-healthy individuals. This abnormal coordination presents itself as a reduction in lumbar contributions and an increase in pelvic rotations during a trunk forward bending and backward return task. This study investigated the ability of a hip orthosis in correcting such an abnormal lumbo-pelvic coordination by restricting pelvic rotation and, hence increasing lumbar contributions. The effects of the hip orthosis on the lumbo-pelvic coordination were investigated in 20 low back pain patients and 20 asymptomatic controls. The orthosis reduced pelvic rotation by 12.7° and increased lumbar contributions by 11%. Contrary to our expectation, orthosis-induced changes in lumbo-pelvic coordination were smaller in patients; most likely because our relatively young patient group had smaller unrestricted pelvic rotations compared to asymptomatic individuals. Considering the observed capability of a hip orthosis in causing the expected changes in lumbo-pelvic coordination when there is a relatively large pelvic contribution to trunk motion, application of a hip orthosis may provide a promising method of correcting abnormal lumbo-pelvic coordination, particularly among patients who demonstrate larger pelvic rotation, that warrants further investigation.