EFFECT OF POOR PAIN PROGNOSTIC RISK ON WALKING IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: OBSERVATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a highly prevalent musculoskeletal disorder, which can impair an individual's functional capacity. Thus, walking speed is one of the most affected conditions. Objective: To compare spatiotemporal parameters [stride frequency (SF), stride length (SL), and walking ratio (R_SL/SF)] between healthy subjects and patients with CLBP stratified by risk of poor prognosis for pain. Materials and methods: Study classified as exploratory and cross-sectional observational. Seventy-four volunteers participated, divided into four groups, according to the risk of developing a poor prognosis for pain, classified using the STarT Back Screening Tool questionnaire, being: control (CG, n=20), low risk (LrG, n=21), medium risk (MrG, n=22) and high risk (HrG, n=11).The volunteers underwent the following laboratory visits: screening; soil tests to determine self-selected speed (SSS) and optimal walking speed (OWS), and treadmill tests at 4 different speeds, each speed tested on different days, being SSS, OWS, 3 and 4 km∙h^-1. Results: No variables were found in the group effects, nor in the effect of the group*speed interaction. However, speed effects were found for SL [Wald χ2 (3) = 26.898, p < 0.001] and SF [Wald χ2 (3) = 25.156 p = < 0.001], but not for R_SL/SF [Wald χ2 (3) = 5.686, p = 0.128] Conclusion: The risk of poor prognosis did not affect the outcomes. Speed affected SF and SL, but not R_SL/SF.