Lumbar flexion and dynamic EMG among persons with single level disk herniation pre- and postsurgery with radicular low-back pain.

Wallbom, Agnes S; Geisser, Michael E; Koch, John; Haig, Andrew J; Guido, Catherine; Hoff, Julian T · Am J Phys Med Rehabil · 2009

prospective_cohort · Level II

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Abstract

The paraspinal muscles often fail to relax on forward flexion in many persons with low-back pain. The goal of this prospective study was to determine whether this abnormal lack of a flexion-relaxation phenomenon corrects after lumbar diskectomy for symptoms of radiculopathy with low-back pain. Electromyographic testing was performed on 17 patients before and 30 days after lumbar diskectomy. Although pain improved significantly (P < 0.05), the flexion-relaxation phenomenon did not improve. Failure to recover muscle relaxation while pain is relieved suggests another mechanism for paraspinal activity.

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