Chronic low back pain lowers balance test scores among people who are middle-aged

Background People who are middle aged are at risk for chronic low back pain (CLBP) which can impair balance. Identifying an appropriate balance test may help to detect balance deficits for this particular age group. Objective To assess balance on the dominant and non-dominant limbs among middle-aged people, (CLBP = 25 and Painfree = 25). Methods Static balance included the 30 s single limb stance test and dynamic balance was assessed using the modified Star Excursion Balance test (mSEBT) for anterior, posterolateral, posteromedial directions and composite score on both limbs (dominant and non-dominant) using a randomized limb and direction order for mSEBT and normalized to percent of leg length, (%LL). Results No group differences were found among the SLS on either limb, (p > 0.05). The control group reached further anteriorly (78%LL) and with the composite (83%LL) compared to the CLBP group, (72%LL) and (75%LL), respectively. The dominant limb had longer reaches for both groups in the posterolateral and composite directions compared to non-dominant limb. Conclusion The dynamic balance test may be more sensitive than the SLS test among individuals who are middle-aged and have CLBP. The results support that CLBP group could not reach as far in the anterior direction and composite score resulting in lower dynamic balance compared to the controls. In addition, there were inter-limb differences in both groups during the dynamic balance test which implies both limbs should be assessed among people who are middle-aged with or without chronic low back pain.