Limbs joint position sense in patients with chronic non-specific back pain

Abstract

To analyze limbs joint positions’ sense and its relationship with pain intensity and duration in patients with chronic non-specific back pain. Methods: Study design: cross-sectional study. For assessment of patients, the following elements were used: general data collection protocol; evaluation of pain intensity using the Visual Analogue Scale; assessment of limb kinesthesia: determination of reposition precision of a 90-degree flexion angle in shoulder, elbow, hip and knee joints. Subjects. The study included 100 patients (88 women, 12 men) with chronic nonspecific back pain, who met the selection criteria for the study. The average age of patients was 45.9 ± 11.6 years, and it ranged from 19 to 64 years. Results: All participants of the study were found to have diminished upper and lower limbs kinesthesia. The study results showed plausible (p < 0.05) relation between limbs kinesthesia and pain intensity and duration, and these correlations were significantly determined by pain localization. Conclusion: Limb kinesthesia is plausibly related to the manifestation of pain in patients with chronic non-specific back pain.