Young adults with recurrent low back pain demonstrate altered trunk coordination during gait independent of pain status and attentional demands

Pain influences both attention and motor behavior. We used a dual-task interference paradigm to investigate (1) alterations in attentional performance, (2) the ability switch task prioritization, (3) effect of demand on trunk coordination during narrow-based walking out painful episode individuals with recurrent low back pain (LBP). tested twenty young adults LBP compared them matched back-healthy individuals. Participants simultaneously performed narrow step width matching an arithmetic task, without instructions prioritize either task. A motion capture system was record kinematic data, frontal plane analyzed using vector coding thorax pelvis angles. Single-task effect, performance variability, prioritization switch, were paired t tests or repeated measures two-way ANOVAs. Results indicated that active has detrimental processes, by poorer single-task increased variability for LBP. Individuals LBP, regardless status, able similar degree as their counterparts. Compared control group, exhibited less in-phase, more pelvis-dominated walking, independent status manipulations. Thus, altered persons appears be habitual, automatic, persists beyond symptom duration.