TITLE:
Muscle Strength, Lumbar Curve, Fear of Movement and Functional Disability among Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Review
AUTHORS:
G. M. Jakaria, Chua Siew Kuan
KEYWORDS:
Lumbar Disc Herniation, Fear of Movement, Functional Disability, Vertical Angle of Spinal Curvature
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.12 No.1,
February
8,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) refers to the rupture of the fibrous annulus
of the intervertebral discs. Lumbar curvature may lead to the occurrence of
lumbar disc degeneration. Fear of movement may worsen their disc herniation and
cause further pain and injury. LDH conditions impact the
individuals’ quality of life, to explore
the relationship between lumbar curve, muscle strength, fear of movement and
functional disability among patients with LDH. Methods: An electronic
search was conducted on PubMed, Medline, Science Direct, Springerlink, Google
Scholar and a hand search from reference lists was reviewed. Publications were included in human studies, patients 25 - 85 years of age, original studies and published
in English language journals from January 2002 to December 2023. Result: In
total, 64 articles were researched through the online search engines, and 9
papers were found through manual searches of reference lists. As a result, a total of
11 articles were included for the purpose of this review. The comprehensive
analysis revealed the presence of eight cross-sectional studies, two
retrospective studies and one experimental study. A minimum of 25 participants
and a maximum of 360 participants were included. Ten studies included both
genders, only one studies included healthy adults and patients with LDH but
these studies didn’t mention gender. Results showed that the factors
influencing LDH can be categorized into non-modifiable factors, such as gender,
age, height or others. Modifiable factors included increased BMI, DM, smoking,
alcohol, employment status, lifestyle and health problems or psychology. Conclusion:
Females with greater VASC may be at risk of LDH. The lumbar extensor muscles
indicated a localized disc herniation or nerve root pathology in patients with
LDH. The fear of movement may lead to psychological consequences and reduce functional
disability among patients with LDH.