Loss in dynamic stability of the low back has been identified as a potential factor in the etiology of low back injuries. A number of factors are important in the ability of a person to maintain an upright trunk posture including the preparatory stiffness of the trunk and the magnitude and timing of the neuromotor response. A neuromotor response requires appropriate sensing of joint motion. In this research, the role of this sensory ability in dynamic performance of the trunk was examined using a simple pendulum model of the trunk with neuromotor feedback. An increased sensory threshold was found to lead to increased torso flexion and increased delay in neuromotor response. This was confirmed experimentally using paraspinal muscle vibration which is known to alter proprioception of the muscle spindle organs. Before, during and after exposure to bilateral, paraspinal muscle vibration for , the dynamic response of subjects to an unexpected torso flexion load was examined. Subjects were found to have a 19.5% slower time to peak muscle activity and a 16.1% greater torso flexion during exposure to paraspinal muscle vibration. Torso flexion remained significantly increased after vibration exposure relative to before exposure. These results suggest that the neuromotor response plays an important role in trunk dynamics. Loss in sensitivity of the sensory system can have a detrimental effect on trunk dynamics, increasing delays in neuromotor response and increasing the motion of the trunk in response to an unexpected load.
Issue Section:
Research Papers
1.
Andersson
, G. B.
, 1981, “Epidemiologic Aspects on Low-Back Pain in Industry
,” Spine
0362-2436, 6
(1
), pp. 53
–60
.2.
Cats-Baril
, W. L.
, and Frymoyer
, J. W.
, 1991, “Demographic Factors Associated With the Prevalence of Disability in the General Population. Analysis of the Nhanes I Database
,” Spine
0362-2436, 16
(6
), pp. 671
–674
.3.
Panjabi
, M. M.
, 1992, “The Stabilizing System of the Spine. Part I. Function, Dysfunction, Adaptation, and Enhancement
,” Bull. Cancer (Paris)
0007-4551, 5
(4
), pp. 383
–389
.4.
Panjabi
, M. M.
, 2003, “Clinical Spinal Instability and Low Back Pain
,” J. Electromyogr Kinesiol
1050-6411, 13
(4
), pp. 371
–379
.5.
Mcgill
, S.
, 2002, Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation
, Human Kinetics
, Champaign, IL
.6.
Cholewicki
, J.
, Silfies
, S. P.
, Shah
, R. A.
, Greene
, H. S.
, Reeves
, N. P.
, Alvi
, K.
, and Goldberg
, B.
, 2005, “Delayed Trunk Muscle Reflex Responses Increase the Risk of Low Back Injuries
,” Spine
0362-2436, 30
(23
), pp. 2614
–2620
.7.
Mcgill
, S. M.
, 2004, “Linking Latest Knowledge of Injury Mechanisms and Spine Function to the Prevention of Low Back Disorders
,” J. Electromyogr Kinesiol
1050-6411, 14
(1
), pp. 43
–47
.8.
Bigos
, S. J.
, Spengler
, D. M.
, Martin
, N. A.
, Zeh
, J.
, Fisher
, L.
, Nachemson
, A.
, and Wang
, M. H.
, 1986, “Back Injuries in Industry: A Retrospective Study. Ii. Injury Factors
,” Spine
0362-2436, 11
(3
), pp. 246
–251
.9.
Troup
, J. D.
, Martin
, J. W.
, and Lloyd
, D. C.
, 1981, “Back Pain in Industry. A Prospective Survey
,” Spine
0362-2436, 6
(1
), pp. 61
–69
.10.
Leinonen
, V.
, Kankaanpaa
, M.
, Luukkonen
, M.
, Kansanen
, M.
, Hanninen
, O.
, Airaksinen
, O.
, and Taimela
, S.
, 2003, “Lumbar Paraspinal Muscle Function, Perception of Lumbar Position, and Postural Control in Disc Herniation-Related Back Pain
,” Spine
0362-2436, 28
(8
), pp. 842
–848
.11.
Radebold
, A.
, Cholewicki
, J.
, Panjabi
, M. M.
, and Patel
, T. C.
, 2000, “Muscle Response Pattern to Sudden Trunk Loading in Healthy Individuals and in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain
,” Spine
0362-2436, 25
(8
), pp. 947
–954
.12.
Allison
, G. T.
, and Fukushima
, S.
, 2003, “Estimating Three-Dimensional Spinal Repositioning Error: The Impact of Range, Posture, and Number of Trials
,” Spine
0362-2436, 28
(22
), pp. 2510
–2516
.13.
Van Dieen
, J. H.
, Cholewicki
, J.
, and Radebold
, A.
, 2003, “Trunk Muscle Recruitment Patterns in Patients With Low Back Pain Enhance the Stability of the Lumbar Spine
,” Spine
0362-2436, 28
(8
), pp. 834
–841
.14.
Panjabi
, M. M.
, 1992, “The Stabilizing System of the Spine. Part Ii. Neutral Zone and Instability Hypothesis
,” Beitr Silikoseforsch
0376-0243, 5
(4
), pp. 390
–396
.15.
Wilder
, D. G.
, Aleksiev
, A. R.
, Magnusson
, M. L.
, Pope
, M. H.
, Spratt
, K. F.
, and Goel
, V. K.
, 1996, “Muscular Response to Sudden Load. A Tool to Evaluate Fatigue and Rehabilitation
,” Spine
0362-2436, 21
(22
), pp. 2628
–2639
.16.
Granata
, K. P.
, Slota
, G. R.
, and Wilson
, S. E.
, 2004, “Influence of Fatigue in Neuromuscular Control of Spinal Stability
,” Hum. Factors
0018-7208, 46
(1
), pp. 81
–91
.17.
Li
, L.
, and Wilson
, S. E.
, 2005, “Effect of Whole Body Vibration on Reposition Sense and Dynamic Low Back Stability
,” ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference
, Vail, CO
.18.
Moorhouse
, K.
, 2005, “Role of Intrinsic and Reflexive Dynamics in the Control of Spinal Stability
,” M.S. thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.19.
Brumagne
, S.
, Lysens
, R.
, Swinnen
, S.
, and Verschueren
, S.
, 1999, “Effect of Paraspinal Muscle Vibration on Position Sense of the Lumbosacral Spine
,” Spine
0362-2436, 24
(13
), pp. 1328
–1331
.20.
Indahl
, A.
, Kaigle
, A. M.
, Reikeras
, O.
, and Holm
, S. H.
, 1997, “Interaction Between the Porcine Lumbar Intervertebral Disc, Zygapophysial Joints, and Paraspinal Muscles
,” Spine
0362-2436, 22
(24
), pp. 2834
–2840
.21.
Solomonow
, M.
, Zhou
, B. H.
, Harris
, M.
, Lu
, Y.
, and Baratta
, R. V.
, 1998, “The Ligamento-Muscular Stabilizing System of the Spine
,” Spine
0362-2436, 23
(23
), pp. 2552
–2562
.22.
Stubbs
, M.
, Harris
, M.
, Solomonow
, M.
, Zhou
, B.
, Lu
, Y.
, and Baratta
, R. V.
, 1998, “Ligamento-Muscular Protective Reflex in the Lumbar Spine of the Feline
,” J. Electromyogr Kinesiol
1050-6411, 8
(4
), pp. 197
–204
.23.
Cordo
, P.
, Gurfinkel
, V. S.
, Bevan
, L.
, and Kerr
, G. K.
, 1995, “Proprioceptive Consequences of Tendon Vibration During Movement
,” J. Neurophysiol.
0022-3077, 74
(4
), pp. 1675
–1688
.24.
Brumagne
, S.
, Cordo
, P.
, Lysens
, R.
, Verschueren
, S.
, and Swinnen
, S.
, 2000, “The Role of Paraspinal Muscle Spindles in Lumbosacral Position Sense in Individuals With and Without Low Back Pain
,” Spine
0362-2436, 25
(8
), pp. 989
–994
.25.
Cordo
, P. J.
, Burke
, D.
, and Gandevia
, S. C.
, 1998, “Mechanical, Neural, and Perceptual Effects of Tendon Vibration
,” Chapter 7 of Progress in Motor Control
, Vol. 1
, M. L.
Latash
, ed., Human Kinetics
, Champaign, IL
.26.
Roll
, J. P.
, and Vedel
, J. P.
, 1982, “Kinaesthetic Role of Muscle Afferents in Man, Studied by Tendon Vibration and Microneurography
,” Exp. Brain Res.
0014-4819, 47
(2
), pp. 177
–190
.27.
Wierzbicka
, M. M.
, Gilhodes
, J. C.
, and Roll
, J. P.
, 1998, “Vibration-Induced Postural Posteffects
,” J. Neurophysiol.
0022-3077, 79
(1
), pp. 143
–150
.28.
Wilson
, S. E.
, and Zhang
, F.
, 2004, Occupational Vibration and Position Sense
, American Society of Biomechanics
, Portland, OR
.29.
Winter
, D. A.
, 1990, Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement
, Wiley-Interscience
, New York
.30.
Cholewicki
, J.
, Juluru
, K.
, and Mcgill
, S. M.
, 1999, “Intra-Abdominal Pressure Mechanism for Stabilizing the Lumbar Spine
,” J. Biomech.
0021-9290, 32
(1
), pp. 13
–17
.31.
Cholewicki
, J.
, Simons
, A. P.
, and Radebold
, A.
, 2000, “Effects of External Trunk Loads on Lumbar Spine Stability
,” J. Biomech.
0021-9290, 33
(11
), pp. 1377
–1385
.32.
Granata
, K. P.
, Slota
, G. P.
, and Bennett
, B. C.
, 2004, “Paraspinal Muscle Reflex Dynamics
,” J. Biomech.
0021-9290, 37
(2
), pp. 241
–247
.33.
Granata
, K. P.
, Rogers
, E.
, and Moorhouse
, K.
, 2005, “Effects of Static Flexion-Relaxation on Paraspinal Reflex Behavior
,” Clin. Biomech. (Bristol, Avon)
0268-0033, 20
(1
), pp. 16
–24
.34.
Gardner-Morse
, M.
, Stokes
, I. A.
, and Laible
, J. P.
, 1995, “Role of Muscles in Lumbar Spine Stability in Maximum Extension Efforts
,” J. Orthop. Res.
0736-0266, 13
(5
), pp. 802
–808
.35.
Granata
, K. P.
, and Sanford
, A. S.
, 2000, “Lumbar-Pelvic Coordination Is Influence by Lifting Task Parameters
,” Spine
0362-2436, 25
(11
), pp. 1413
–1418
.36.
Wilson
, S. E.
, and Granata
, K. P.
, 2003, “Reposition Sense of Lumbar Curvature With Flexed and Asymmetric Lifting Postures
,” Spine
0362-2436, 28
(5
), pp. 513
–518
.37.
Cholewicki
, J.
, Mcgill
, S. M.
, and Norman
, R. W.
, 1991, “Lumbar Spine Loads During the Lifting of Extremely Heavy Weights
,” Med. Sci. Sports Exercise
0195-9131, 23
(10
), pp. 1179
–1186
.38.
Cholewicki
, J.
, Panjabi
, M. M.
, and Khachatryan
, A.
, 1997, “Stabilizing Function of Trunk Flexor-Extensor Muscles Around a Neutral Spine Posture
,” Spine
0362-2436, 22
(19
), pp. 2207
–2212
.39.
Latash
, M. L.
, 1998, Neurophysiological Basis of Movement
, Human Kinetics
, Champaign, IL
.40.
Mcmahon
, T.
, 1984, Muscles, Reflexes, and Locomotion
, Princeton University Press
, Princeton, NJ
.41.
Koumantakis
, G. A.
, Winstanley
, J.
, and Oldham
, J. A.
, 2002, “Thoracolumbar Proprioception in Individuals With and Without Low Back Pain: Intratester Reliability, Clinical Applicability, and Validity
,” J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther.
0190-6011, 32
(7
), pp. 327
–335
.42.
Newcomer
, K.
, Laskowski
, E. R.
, Yu
, B.
, Larson
, D. R.
, and An
, K. N.
, 2000, “Repositioning Error in Low Back Pain—Comparing Trunk Repositioning Error in Subjects With Chronic Low Back Pain and Control Subjects
,” Spine
0362-2436, 25
(2
), pp. 245
–250
.43.
Lam
, S. S.
, Jull
, G.
, and Treleaven
, J.
, 1999, “Lumbar Spine Kinesthesia in Patients With Low Back Pain
,” J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther.
0190-6011, 29
(5
), pp. 294
–299
.44.
Gill
, K. P.
, and Callaghan
, M. J.
, 1998, “The Measurement of Lumbar Proprioception in Individuals With and Without Low Back Pain
,” Spine
0362-2436, 23
(3
), pp. 371
–377
.45.
Preuss
, R.
, Grenier
, S.
, and Mcgill
, S.
, 2000, “Lumbar Spine Position Sense in Pain-Free Individuals: Does a Previous History of Low Back Pain Affect Lumbar Spine Position Sense?
,” Arch. Physiol. Biochem.
1381-3455, 108
(1–2
), pp. 203
–203
.46.
Cholewicki
, J.
, Greene
, H. S.
, Polzhofer
, G. K.
, Galloway
, M. T.
, Shah
, R. A.
, and Radebold
, A.
, 2002, “Neuromuscular Function in Athletes Following Recovery From a Recent Acute Low Back Injury
,” J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther.
0190-6011, 32
(11
), pp. 568
–575
.Copyright © 2008
by American Society of Mechanical Engineers
You do not currently have access to this content.
