This study aims to improve understanding of the relationship between spinal alignment and walking and balance in people who have degenerative spinal conditions.
This prospective cohort study will include people who are attending physiotherapy to address a degenerative spinal condition and measure them longitudinally. The investigators will measure spinal alignment, walking capacity and pattern, dynamic balance, and back muscle strength along with self-reported measures that reflect the person's functional self-efficacy, quality of life, and general health. Physical and self-reported outcome measures will be assessed at baseline before the physiotherapy-led exercise class commences, after completion at 6 weeks, and 6 months post baseline.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
41
Physiotherapy exercise class includes education, stretching, strengthening, posture and balance interventions.
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre
Oxford, Oxon, United Kingdom
Change in sagittal spinal alignment
Alignment of the spine in the sagittal plane measured by a surface topography method
Time frame: 6 weeks post-baseline
Sagittal spinal alignment
Alignment of the spine in the sagittal plane measured by a surface topography method
Time frame: 6 months
2 minute walk test
Distance walked in 2 minutes to measure exercise capacity
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Gait analysis
Spatiotemoral gait parameters measured using inertial measurement units
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Tragus to wall distance
Forward posture measurement using the distance from the ear to the wall
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Four Square Step Test
Dynamic balance test involving multidirectional stepping over obstacles
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Timed loaded standing test
Measurement of back extensor muscle strength and endurance
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)
Health survey measuring aspects of quality of life. The questionnaire contains 36 questions which form 8 subscales: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, role limitations due to emotional problems, energy/fatigue, emotional well-being, social functioning, pain, and general health. Each question is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale with the lower the score the more disability.
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Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Visual analogue pain scale
Measurement of pain in a participant's back. The scale is along a horizontal 10 cm line with markings from 0 to 10, 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the worst pain imaginable.
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale
Questionnaire measuring balance confidence in various situations. It contains 16 questions in which participants rate their confidence in performing the activities on a scale from 0-100, 0 representing no confidence and 100 representing complete confidence. The total score is calculated to be on a similar 0 to 100 scale.
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Modified gait efficacy scale
Questionnaire measuring walking confidence and self-efficacy. Each of the 10 items is scored on a 10-point Likert scale with 1 representing no confidence and 10 representing complete confidence. The total score ranges from 10-100.
Time frame: 6 weeks and 6 months
Sagittal spinal alignment
Reliability re-test of alignment of the spine in the sagittal plane measured by a surface topography method
Time frame: Within 2 weeks of baseline