A New Potential Indicator in Differentiating Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis and Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Abstract

Background: Center of pressure (CoP) trajectory is one of the gait parameters that is widely used for clinical assessments. Moreover, the CoP trajectory could be adversely affected by anatomic and mechanical factors that involve foot function, which was shown to be correlated with musculoskeletal diseases. The aim of this study is to compare angle-associated parameters of gait in patients with different lumbar spinal disorders. Methods: The subjects suffered from the same levels of spine impairment, including patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (LIDD) were recruited in this study. The spatio-temporal angular parameters associated with the CoP of the subjects during their gait were collected and examined. The measurements were used to calculate the CoP angle and symmetry angle (SA). Then the butterfly diagram (BD) intersection angle was introduced as a new potential parameter in gait assessment. Results: The results of the current study showed that CoPs and SAs did not vary between the two groups (P > 0.05). The BD intersection angle, however, indicated some variations between patients with LSS and LIDD (P < 0.05). Conclusion: While the results showed that CoP angles and SAs did not differ between the LSS and LIDD groups, it is hypothesized that such disorders that affect the gait could be reflected in the BD intersection angle. Therefore, the BD intersection angle is suggested as a clinical indicator in clarifying patients with lumbar spinal disorders.