Development of active hip abduction as a screening test for identifying occupational low back pain.
METHODS
Analytic observational prospective study performed in a controlled laboratory setting.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the ability of a new screening tool, the active hip abduction test, to predict low back pain development during prolonged standing in previously asymptomatic individuals.


BACKGROUND
Most screening tools used for a patient with low back pain do not assess the patient's ability to maintain postural control in the frontal plane, when placed in an unstable position. Postural-control differences in pain developers, as compared to non-pain developers, during standing have been found previously. An attempt was made to predict pain development with a simple screening test.


METHODS
Forty-three previously asymptomatic volunteers underwent a clinical assessment prior to a 2-hour standing protocol designed to induce low back pain. Participants rated low back pain with a visual analog scale and were classified into pain developers or non-pain developers.


RESULTS
Forty percent of participants developed low back pain. The active hip abduction test was the only test that discriminated between pain-developer groups. When the examiner scored the test, the odds ratio was 3.85 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-19.07), and when the test was self-rated, the odds ratio was 6.55 (95% CI: 1.14-37.75) for pain development during standing.


CONCLUSIONS
The active hip abduction test appears to show promise for predicting individuals who are at risk for low back pain development during prolonged standing. More work is required to validate the test in clinical populations, and to assess interrater and intrarater reliability.
Nelson-Wong
Erika
E
Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Flynn
Timothy
T
Callaghan
Jack P
JP
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult