Dataset Information

Changes in spinal stiffness with chronic thoracic pain: Correlation with pain and muscle activity.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:The objective was to compare thoracic spinal stiffness between healthy participants and participants with chronic thoracic pain and to explore the associations between spinal stiffness, pain and muscle activity. The reliability of spinal stiffness was also evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS:Spinal stiffness was assessed from T5 to T8 using a mechanical device in 25 healthy participants and 50 participants with chronic thoracic pain (symptoms had to be reported within the evaluated region of the back). The spinal levels for which spinal stiffness was measured were standardized (i.e. T5 to T8 for all participants) to minimize between-individual variations due to the evaluation of different spinal levels. The device load and displacement data were used to calculate the global and terminal spinal stiffness coefficients at each spinal level. Immediately after each assessment, participants were asked to rate their pain intensity during the trial, while thoracic muscle activity was recorded during the load application using surface electromyography electrodes (sEMG). Within- and between-day reliability were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), while the effects of chronic thoracic pain and spinal levels on spinal stiffness and sEMG activity were assessed using mixed model ANOVAs. Correlations between pain intensity, muscle activity and spinal stiffness were also computed. RESULTS:ICC values for within- and between-day reliability of spinal stiffness ranged from 0.67 to 0.91 and from 0.60 to 0.94 (except at T5), respectively. A significant decrease in the global (F1,73 = 4.04, p = 0.048) and terminal (F1,73 = 4.93, p = 0.03) spinal stiffness was observed in participants with thoracic pain. sEMG activity was not significantly different between groups and between spinal levels. Pain intensity was only significantly and "moderately" correlated to spinal stiffness coefficients at one spinal level (-0.29?r?-0.51), while sEMG activity and spinal stiffness were not significantly correlated. CONCLUSION:The results suggest that spinal stiffness can be reliably assessed using a mechanical device and that this parameter is decreased in participants with chronic thoracic pain. Studies are required to determine the value of instrumented spinal stiffness assessment in the evaluation and management of patients with chronic spine-related pain.

SUBMITTER: Page I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6289409 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Changes in spinal stiffness with chronic thoracic pain: Correlation with pain and muscle activity.

Pagé Isabelle I Nougarou François F Lardon Arnaud A Descarreaux Martin M

PloS one 20181211 12

<h4>Objective</h4>The objective was to compare thoracic spinal stiffness between healthy participants and participants with chronic thoracic pain and to explore the associations between spinal stiffness, pain and muscle activity. The reliability of spinal stiffness was also evaluated.<h4>Material and methods</h4>Spinal stiffness was assessed from T5 to T8 using a mechanical device in 25 healthy participants and 50 participants with chronic thoracic pain (symptoms had to be reported within the ev ...[more]

PMID: 30533059

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Project description:BackgroundIn a prior randomized trial, we demonstrated that participants receiving spinal manipulative therapy at a pain-sensitive segment instead of a stiff segment experienced increased mechanical pressure pain thresholds. We hypothesized that the targeted segment mediated this increase through a segment-dependent neurophysiological reflective pathway. Presently, it is not known if this decrease in pain sensitivity is associated with clinical improvement. Therefore, we performed an explorative analysis to examine if changes in experimental pain sensitivity (mechanical and thermal) and lumbar stiffness were further dependent on clinical improvement in disability and patient-reported low back pain.MethodsThis study is a secondary explorative analysis of data from the randomized trial that compared 132 participants with chronic low back pain who received lumbar spinal manipulative therapy applied at either i) the stiffest segment or ii) the segment having the lowest pain threshold (i.e., the most pain-sensitive segment). We collected data at baseline, after the fourth session of spinal manipulation, and at 14-days follow-up. Participants were dichotomized into responders/non-responders using different clinical variables (disability and patient-reported low back pain) with varying threshold values (0, 30, and 50% improvement). Mixed models were used to assess changes in experimental outcomes (stiffness and pain sensitivity). The fixed interaction terms were time, segment allocation, and responder status.ResultsWe observed a significant increase in mechanical pressure pain thresholds for the group, which received spinal manipulative therapy at the most pain-sensitive segment independent of whether they improved clinically or not. Those who received spinal manipulation at the stiffest segment also demonstrated increased mechanical pain sensitivity, but only in the subgroup with clinical improvement. We did not observe any changes in lumbar stiffness.ConclusionOur results suggest the existence of two different mechanistic pathways associated with the spinal manipulation target. i) A decrease of mechanical pain sensitivity independent of clinical outcome (neurophysiological) and ii) a decrease as a reflection of the clinical outcome. Together, these observations may provide a novel framework that improves our understanding of why some respond to spinal manipulative therapy while others do not.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04086667 registered retrospectively September 11th 2019.

Project description:Skeletal muscle stiffness is altered after spinal cord injury (SCI). Assessing muscle stiffness is essential for rehabilitation and pharmaceutical interventions design after SCI. The study used magnetic resonance elastography to assess the changes in stiffness after chronic SCI compared to matched able-bodied controls and determine its association with muscle size, spasticity, and peak torque in persons with SCI. Previous studies examined the association between muscle stiffness and spasticity, however, we are unaware of other studies that examined the effects of muscle composition on stiffness after SCI. Ten participants (one female) with chronic SCI and eight (one female) matched able-bodied controls participated in this cross-sectional study. Magnetic resonance elastography was utilized to monitor stiffness derived from shear waves propagation. Modified Ashworth scale was used to evaluate spasticity scores in a blinded fashion. Peak isometric and isokinetic torques were measured using a biodex dynamometer. Stiffness values were non-significantly lower (12.5%; P = 0.3) in the SCI group compared to able-bodied controls. Moreover, stiffness was positively related to vastus lateralis whole muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) (r2 = 0.64, P < 0.005) and vastus lateralis absolute muscle CSA after accounting for intramuscular fat (r2 = 0.78, P < 0.0007). Stiffness was also positively correlated to both isometric (r2= 0.55-0.57, P < 0.05) and isokinetic peak (r2= 0.46-0.48, P < 0.05) torques. Our results suggest that larger clinical trial is warranted to confirm the preliminary findings that muscle stiffness is altered after SCI compared to healthy controls. Stiffness appeared to be influenced by infiltration of intramuscular fat and modestly by the spasticity of the paralyzed muscles. The preliminary data indicated that the relationship between muscle stiffness and peak torque is not altered with changing the frequency of pulses or angular velocities. All study procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, USA (IRB #: 02314) on May 3, 2017.

Dataset Information

Changes in spinal stiffness with chronic thoracic pain: Correlation with pain and muscle activity.

Publications

Changes in spinal stiffness with chronic thoracic pain: Correlation with pain and muscle activity.

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