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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Injury Prevention and Control
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1497079

Chronic Low Back Pain and Postural Instability: Interaction Effects of Pain Severity, Age, BMI, and Disability.

Provisionally accepted
Adel Alshahrani Adel Alshahrani 1*RAVI SHANKAR YERRAGONDA REDDY RAVI SHANKAR YERRAGONDA REDDY 2Sunil Kumar Ravi Sunil Kumar Ravi 2
  • 1 Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, 61421, Saudi Arabia, Abha, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: This study aimed to (1) compare postural sway patterns between individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and asymptomatic controls, (2) evaluate correlations between pain severity and postural stability variables, and (3) assess the interaction effects of age, BMI, pain severity, and disability on postural stability under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions.Methods: Postural stability (sway area, sway velocity, CoP displacement) was assessed in 88 CLBP patients and 88 controls using a stabilometric platform. Pain severity (VAS) and disability (ODI) were recorded alongside demographic data. Statistical analyses included t-tests, Pearson's correlations, and ANOVA to explore group differences, correlations, and interaction effects.Results: CLBP patients exhibited significantly greater postural sway across all conditions, with larger sway area (16.80 ± 6.10 cm² vs. 11.50 ± 4.10 cm², p = 0.004) and higher sway velocity (4.10 ± 1.40 cm/s vs. 2.90 ± 1.00 cm/s, p = 0.009) under eyes-closed conditions. Pain severity correlated with sway velocity (r = 0.52, p = 0.003) and CoP displacement (r = 0.57, p = 0.002). Interaction effects indicated greater instability in older, obese individuals with severe pain and high disability.: CLBP is associated with impaired postural stability, influenced by pain severity, BMI, age, and disability. Targeted interventions addressing these factors are essential for improving balance and reducing fall risk.

    Keywords: Postural Balance, Body Mass Index, Pain Measurement, Disability, Low Back Pain

    Received: 16 Sep 2024; Accepted: 03 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Alshahrani, REDDY and Ravi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Adel Alshahrani, Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.