Objective: To determine the relationship between low back pain (LBP)-related disability and physical performance in people with Parkinson disease (PD).

Background: Low back pain is more common among people with PD compared to age-matched peers. Though LBP-related disability is related to quality of life in PD, investigators have not yet determined whether and how LBP-related disability relates to physical performance (e.g., gait, balance) in this population.

Method: People with PD, enrolled in a walking exercise study, completed a baseline assessment prior to initiating exercise. To characterize LBP-related disability, participants completed the self-reported Modified Oswestry Low-Back Pain Related Disability Questionnaire (mOSW). For measures of gait speed and gait-related endurance, participants completed the 10 Meter Walk (10mWT) and 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT), respectively. Balance was measured using the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BEST). To measure real-world ambulatory activity, participants also wore a StepWatch Activity Monitor for a seven-day period to capture number of daily steps. Pearson correlation coefficients were generated to analyze the relationship between LBP-related disability and measures of motor performance.

Results: Seventy-six people with PD were enrolled in the study. Of those enrolled, 52 (68.4%) individuals (mean age: 67.6 ± 7.4; 48.1% female; mean MDS-UPDRS III: 38.1 ± 12.1; median Hoehn & Yahr stage: 2.5) reported experiencing LBP. Self-reported LBP-related disability was inversely related to self-selected (r=-.35; p=.01) and fast (r=-.47; p<.001) gait speeds. Self-reported LBP-related disability was inversely related to distance walked in the 6MWT (r=-.38; p=.005), but its relation to number of daily steps (r=-.24; p=.10) did not attain significance. There was an inverse relationship between LBP-related disability and balance (r=-.48; p<.001).

Conclusion: In people with PD experiencing LBP, greater LBP-related disability was related to slower gait speed, diminished walking endurance, and poorer balance. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate whether LBP causes reduced motor performance in people with PD. Further, investigators should identify factors contributing to LBP in people with PD and design interventions to treat the pain effectively.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/relationship-between-low-back-pain-related-disability-and-motor-performance-in-people-with-parkinson-disease/