Effects of non-specific low back pain on static balance in emerging adults

Background: Postural control impairments in middle-aged or older people with chronic low back pain (CLBP) have been extensively documented. However, little is known about changes in postural control early in the disease process which may underlie compensatory movement strategies. Objective: Our purpose was to quantify postural sway and sensory weighting in emerging adults with and without CLBP. Methods: Nineteen emerging adults with CLBP (age = 18-26 years (21.11 +/- 1.73)) and 19 matched peers without CLBP (18-27 years (22.20 +/- 1.97)) participated in a cross-sectional study. Displacement of the center of mass during Quiet stance (QS), Tandem stance (TS), and Unilateral stance (US) on 2 surfaces (stable, unstable) were used to assess postural sway. Sensory Organization Test (SOT) was used to assess sensory weighting. Results: Emerging adults with CLBP showed large, significant increases in postural sway during unstable TS (p <= .020). Participants with CLBP relied more on somatosensory input, as evidenced by lower equilibrium scores during conditions favoring visual (p = .020) or vestibular (p < .001) input during the SOT. Conclusion: Emerging adults with CLBP showed postural control impairments related to altered sensory weighting. These findings provide insights into the development of CLBP and its effects on postural control. This information may aid early identification, monitoring, and treatment of individuals in the initial stages of disease development who may have unrecognized postural impairments.