Unpublished PhD thesis, Rutgers University, 1993/01, , type of study: ,cct,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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Keywords:

controlled clinical trial [324]
electromyography [27]
low back pain [524]
OMT [3925]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3946]

Abstract:

Low back pain (LBP) is the most expensive health problem since human society became industrialized in the modern era. Back pain has been a major source of the sickness absence, limitation of activities and severe disability, still the exact origin of back pain is unknown. This research provides protocols and computable parameters for the comprehensive assessment of conservative treatment for low back pain through self-report pain measurement, physician's finding and objective measures such as Electromyography (EMG), spinal range of motion and muscle rigidity. Current lower back pain patients due to localized lumbar muscle spasm and pain free controls participated in this study. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) was used as a conservative management of low back pain. Paraspinal EMG data during isometric contractions resisting five external loads (0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 5.0 Kg) was obtained for 12 seconds. With this EMG data, integrated EMG and power spectrum analysis was calculated digitally to observe the amplitude and frequency changes due to treatment Pain questionnaires, range of motion, tissue compliance and palpatory finding were also measured. Control group did not show changes with respect to IEMG and frequency between the placebo OMT. However, patient group had significant changes due to OMT. The slope of IEMG versus weight gradually decreased during the 2 week treatment program. Median frequency of power spectrum was shifted to higher frequency immediately after treatment. Both phenomena were located at the spasm site which were measured by indentation meter and physician's palpation. Gross spinal motion has increased gradually but true lumbar motion did not change at all. The muscle rigidity also improved by the OMT. Pain measurement revealed intensity dimension decreased significantly, however affective dimension did not change during the treatment period. The modalities quantified in this study allows one to evaluate the effectiveness of the different treatments for low back pain.