Correlation of disability and pain with postural balance among women with chronic low back pain

Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints and, from a public health perspective, is the most costly (1,2). In most cases, it is benign and disappears within six weeks, but approximately 20% of individuals with lumbar pain do not show any improvement in their condition, which may progress to chronic low back pain. This chronic condition is difficult to manage and is correlated with many mechanical alterations (3). Maintenance of postural balance under static or dynamic conditions is essential for any functional activity (4). In individuals with chronic low back pain, the degree of control may change such that performing daily tasks becomes compromised and the chronic nature of the disease is sustained (4-7). The mechanisms that lead to such abnormalities of postural control remain unclear. Pain is an important factor in mechanical and neural alterations, but the extent to which it influences postural balance still cannot be determined. One of the hypotheses of this study is that the greater the lumbar pain and physical disability, the worse the patient’s maintenance of both static and dynamic posture. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the correlations between lumbar pain and the degree of disability and postural balance among women with chronic low back pain.