Three recent studies demonstrated clinical findings that predict potential low back pain episodes. These low back pain risk factors are as follows:
- Decreased lumbar lordosis
- Decreased lumbar lateral flexion range of motion
- Restriction in Hamstring range of motion
- Degenerative changes in the lumbar disc
- Previous episodes of low back pain
Restriction in lateral flexion and hamstring ROM, and a reduced lumbar lordosis were associated with an increased risk of developing LBP over a 12-month period.
Degenerative disc changes and previous a history of low back pain are risk factors for recurrent episodes in the future.
A great podcast that discusses some of these findings can be found at The Evidence-Based Chiropractor.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5418732/
https://tbiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12976-015-0020-3
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24462537/
(Originally published in the ANJC The Back Channel, July 11, 2018)
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