Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35151908›Full record

SynthesisJournal of sport and health science2022

Do people with low back pain walk differently? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Jo Armour Smith, Heidi Stabbert, Jennifer J Bagwell, Hsiang-Ling Teng, Vernie Wade, Szu-Ping Lee

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of sport and health science, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

51 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jo Armour SmithDepartment of Physical Therapy, Chapman University, Irvine, CA 92618, USA. Electronic address: josmith@chapman.edu.
Heidi StabbertDepartment of Physical Therapy, Chapman University, Irvine, CA 92618, USA.
Jennifer J BagwellDepartment of Physical Therapy, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA.
Hsiang-Ling TengDepartment of Physical Therapy, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA.
Vernie WadeDepartment of Physical Therapy, Chapman University, Irvine, CA 92618, USA.
Szu-Ping LeeDepartment of Physical Therapy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.

Funding

Motor Learning in Individuals with and at risk of Lower Limb Loss: Implications for Amputee RehabilitationK01HD091449 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS · PI LEE, SZU-PING · 2018 to 2022
$651k
The influence of brain organization and postural behavior on progression of back pain symptoms in young adults.K01HD092612 · NICHD · CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY · PI SMITH, JO ARMOUR · 2018 to 2022
$639k
NICHD NIH HHS K01 HD091449NICHD NIH HHS K01 HD092612
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe biomechanics of the trunk and lower limbs during walking and running gait are frequently assessed in individuals with low back pain (LBP). Despite substantial research, it is still unclear whether consistent and generalizable changes in walking or running gait occur in association with LBP. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify whether there are differences in biomechanics during walking and running gait in individuals with acute and persistent LBP compared with back-healthy controls.

methodsA search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO in June 2019 and was repeated in December 2020. Studies were included if they reported biomechanical characteristics of individuals with and without LBP during steady-state or perturbed walking and running. Biomechanical data included spatiotemporal, kinematic, kinetic, and electromyography variables. The reporting quality and potential for bias of each study was assessed. Data were pooled where possible to compare the standardized mean differences (SMD) between back pain and back-healthy control groups.

resultsNinety-seven studies were included and reviewed. Two studies investigated acute pain and the rest investigated persistent pain. Nine studies investigated running gait. Of the studies, 20% had high reporting quality/low risk of bias. In comparison with back-healthy controls, individuals with persistent LBP walked slower (SMD = -0.59, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): -0.77 to -0.42)) and with shorter stride length (SMD = -0.38, 95%CI: -0.60 to -0.16). There were no differences in the amplitude of motion in the thoracic or lumbar spine, pelvis, or hips in individuals with LBP. During walking, coordination of motion between the thorax and the lumbar spine/pelvis was significantly more in-phase in the persistent LBP groups (SMD = -0.60, 95%CI: -0.90 to -0.30), and individuals with persistent LBP exhibited greater amplitude of activation in the paraspinal muscles (SMD = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.23-0.80). There were no consistent differences in running biomechanics between groups.

conclusionThere is moderate-to-strong evidence that individuals with persistent LBP demonstrate differences in walking gait compared to back-healthy controls.

Indexed as

Low Back PainRunningBiomechanical PhenomenaGaitHumansWalkingBiomechanicsLow back painRunningWalking

Identifiers

PMID35151908
PMCPMC9338341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.