RESEARCHERS LOOK AT THE HAMSTRINGS' ROLE IN LBP

What role do the hamstring muscles play in low back pain (LBP)?

To study this question, investigators compared 20 patients with nonspecific LBP with 20 pain-free subjects.

"Subjects laid supine on an examination table with a lift frame, with left leg placed in a sling at the ankle," explained the study's authors. "Straight leg raising, pulling force and activity of hamstring and back muscles were recorded with electrodes. Patients indicated when they experienced tension or pain."

"The patient group showed a significant restriction in range of motion (ROM) and extensibility of the hamstrings compared with the control group. No significant difference in hamstring muscle stiffness can be assessed between both groups.. . .The restricted ROM and the decreased extensibility of the hamstrings in patients with nonspecific LBP is not caused by increased muscle stiffness of the hamstrings, but determined by the stretch tolerance of the patients," wrote the study's authors.

Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation ­ February 2001;82:232-8. http://www.aapmr.org/

for more, visit www.craiganderson.net