Dynamic Surface Topography for Thoracic and Lumbar Pain Patients—Applicability and First Results

TL;DR

This study explores the use of Dynamic Surface Topography to analyze spine movement in back pain patients during walking, finding it feasible and potentially useful for individualized therapy.

Contribution

The paper introduces Dynamic Surface Topography as a novel, radiation-free method for analyzing spine movement in thoracic and lumbar pain patients during dynamic conditions.

Findings

Back pain patients showed greater total segmental rotation compared to healthy individuals at walking speeds of 2–4 km/h.

Patients with higher pain levels exhibited more movement at a speed of 3 km/h compared to the healthy group.

DST is feasible for back pain patients who can walk confidently on a treadmill, offering potential therapeutic insights.

Abstract

Current routine diagnostic procedures for back pain mainly focus on static spinal analyses. Dynamic Surface Topography (DST) is an easy-to-use, radiation-free addition, allowing spine analyses under dynamic conditions. Until now, it is unclear if this method is applicable to back pain patients, and data reports are missing. Within a prospective observational study, 32 patients suffering from thoracic and lumbar back pain were examined while walking, randomized at four speeds (2, 3, 4, 5 km/h), using a DST measuring device (DIERS 4Dmotion® Lab). The measurement results were compared with those of a healthy reference group. We calculated the intrasegmental rotation for every subject and summed up the spinal motion in a standardized gait cycle. The Mann–Whitney U Test was used to compare the painful and healthy reference groups at the four different speeds. In a subgroup analysis, the painful group was divided into two groups: one with less pain (≤3 points on the Visual Analogue Scale) and one with more pain (>3 points on the Visual Analogue Scale). The Kruskal–Wallis Test was used to compare these subgroups with the healthy reference group. Of the 32 included patients, not all could walk at the intended speeds (5 km/h: 28/32). At speeds of 2–4 km/h, our results point to greater total segmental rotation of back pain patients compared to the healthy reference group. At a speed of 3 km/h, we observed more movement in the patients with more pain. Overall, we monitored small differences on average between the groups but large standard deviations. We conclude that the DST measuring approach is eligible for back pain patients when they feel confident enough to walk on a treadmill. Initial results suggest that DST can be used to obtain interesting therapeutic information for an individual patient.

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