Analysis of postural changes in patients with low back pain treated with neural mobilization

• Grant number: 17/19736-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal researcher: Marucia Chacur
• Grantee: Caio Henrique de Almeida Cruz
• Home Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Low back pain is the most frequent clinical condition that affects a worldwide population. This type of disorder causes a major impact socio-economically, psychologically and quality of life, with inconclusive diagnosis and treatments and low efficacy. The neuropathic pain leads the individual to adopt antalgic posture unconsciously, that could causes changes in the musculoskeletal arrangement, involving in postural deviation, like scoliosis, kyphosis, bilateral asymmetry and shortening of soft tissue, like muscles, ligaments and nerves and the subsequent decrease in functionality and increase of immobilism. In recent years, neural mobilization has been researched more and more often, and it is demonstrating an efficient and long lasting alternative, reversing the pain intensity and rearranging the biomechanics in the affected body segment. Within the spectrum of ways to evaluate an isolated joint's mobility or a set of joints, are the goniometry, third finger distance test, visual inspection and others. However, a new tool has been used in clinical practice and scientific research, for a better precision, which call: biophotogrammetry. This technique it is an option of digital evaluation through pictures taken from the individuals in four angles that are positioned in the international anatomical posture, (attached to a software called Postural Analysis Software -SAPO), where there is linear and angular measurements. The software facilitates the calculation and the evaluation in the morphological variations in the individual's posture in a more reliable way compared to visual inspection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the postural deviations due to the low back pain, and the possible changes induced by treatment with neural mobilization, using Biophotogrammetry. All measurement will be compared with healthy individuals, to achieve a normality parameter in the spine, joint mobility, alignment and symmetry. Keyword: Postural Analysis, Biophotogrammetry, Lumbar Sciatica, Neural Mobilization (AU)