Pressure biofeedback unit to assess and train lumbopelvic stability in supine individuals with chronic low back pain.
Carlos Filipe Barbosa Crasto, António Mesquita Montes, Paulo Carvalho and 1 others
PMID 31645801WHAT IT FOUND
Using a pressure biofeedback unit during a leg raise did not correlate with muscle activity or balance, so it cannot assess stability.
However, seeing the unit's reading helped participants increase abdominal muscle activity and reduce pelvic sway.
Key findings
01Pressure readings from the biofeedback unit did not correlate with abdominal muscle activity or mediolateral centre of pressure displacement.
02When participants used the biofeedback unit to keep pressure steady during a leg raise, abdominal muscle activity increased significantly for most muscles, and mediolateral centre of pressure displacement decreased.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study only included young adults (18-30 years) who were not overweight and had a specific positive test result, so the findings may not apply to older or heavier patients with low back pain. The sample size was small (18 participants) and heavily skewed toward women (14 females, 4 males). The order of the tests was not randomized, which could introduce bias.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest or funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the pressure biofeedback unit accurately measures muscle activity or stability. The study found no correlation between the unit's readings and the actual muscle or balance measures, meaning the numbers on the screen are not a valid assessment tool.