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Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Mar 1;19(1):69-78.

Lower limb muscle strength in patients with low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Camila Santana de Sousa  1 , Fabio Luciano Arcanjo de Jesus, Mariana Barcelos Machado, Grimaldo Ferreira, Isabela Guimarães Tinoco Ayres, Letícia Moraes de Aquino, Thiago Yukio Fukuda, Mansueto Gomes-Neto
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Lower limb muscle strength in patients with low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Camila Santana de Sousa et al. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. .

Abstract

Objective: To systematically review the published studies that compare lower limb muscle strength in patients with low back pain to matched healthy controls.

Methods: We searched Medline, SciELO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), and Scopus up until December 2017. Studies comparing lower limb muscle strength in people diagnosed with low back pain to healthy control participants were included in the systematic review.

Results: 14 studies, which included 951 healthy controls and 919 patients with low back pain, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis revealed a lower muscle strength of hip abductor/extensors and knee extensors in patients with low back pain in comparison to healthy controls. The average strength of hip abductors (Five studies, SMD=0.7 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.9) and hip extensors (Two studies, SMD=0.93, 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.23) was significantly lower in patients with low back pain compared to that of healthy controls. Knee extensor muscle strength was significantly lower in patients with low back pain compared to healthy controls (Three studies, WMD=0.31 Nm/kg, 95% CI: 0.1 to 0.5). The meta-analysis indicated a no significant difference in knee flexor muscle strength in patients with low back pain compared to healthy controls.

Conclusions: Lower limb muscle is impaired in patients with low back pain.

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Conflict of interest statement

This study was supported in part by the Fundo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP). The authors have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram showing the reference screening and study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hip strength-LBP vs Healthy controls.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Knee strength-LBP vs Healthy controls.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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