Correlation of spinal mobility with the severity of chronic lower back pain

The purpose of this study is to show the correlation between the range of spinal motion and the severity of chronic lower back pain. The subjects of this study were 40 female patients with chronic lower back pain over a 6 months' duration. The range of spinal and hip joint motion was measured with a electrogoniometer, and the severity of back pain was evaluated with the Rolland's score and Pollard's pain disability index. Results were as follows. There was a correlation between the severity of pain and the range of lumbar lateral flexion, rotation, and extension (p < 0.05). Age, height, weight and body mass index had no correlation with the range of spinal motion. These results suggest that the range of lumbar spinal motion can be used as an objective measure for the evaluation of classifying chronic lower back pain patients and for planning and following their treatment.