HW-03

(Oral presentation, session Health and Wellbeing, 14.30 - 14.50 hrs)

Background:

Worldwide, low back pain (LBP) is the most disabling condition, with high consequences on personal and societal level. For the physiotherapist, there is no consensus about the most effective treatment for LBP. Mostly, a ‘one size fits all’ treatment is applying. Technology could assist in objectifying LBP-sub diagnosis and help to develop knowledge about the influence of low back muscles in LBP patients. Therefore, the aim of this project is to use innovate technology to improve the diagnosis of LBP for physiotherapists.

Methods:

A systematic review was carried out of literature and anatomical atlases on low back muscles. A three dimensional digital reconstruction of two low backs were developed to provide physiotherapists guidelines on how to measure low back function. In a parallel study, technology (two types of electromyography) was used to measure the function of low back muscles during different clinical tests.

Results:

Location and muscle trajectory of low back muscles were differently presented in and between studies. Presentations of low back muscles in anatomy atlases differed from most included studies. The three dimensional model of the two low backs showed in detail the low back musculature. During all the clinical tests, low back muscles were always active simultaneously and did not show separate muscle activation.

Conclusion:

In and between studies and anatomy atlases, the low back muscles are differently described, which leads to differences in research methodology and consequently, to differing treatments. The three-dimension model of the low back provides new insights in the anatomy of low back muscles. In addition, with the used technology, low back muscles could not be measured separately without measuring other low back muscles. In future studies, technology should be validated which might objectify LBP and improve diagnosis of LBP for physiotherapists.