Variation in postural controlstrategies in people with and without low back pain

Chronic low back pain is a large problem, both individually and socially. Why
low back complaints chronic become is unclear. In the literature on low back
pain a shift in focus has taken place to motor control. Variation is a core
term. The central nerve system uses variation between movement components to
compensate for external disturbances or dysfunction of part of the movement
system with the aim of keeping the output of the total movement task stable.
This principle is mostly described in variables like timing and strength. The
phenomenon also seems to occur in the weighting of proprioceptive signals from
the different body regions. People with low back pain show a different
weighting from people without low back pain. In this study the following
question is investigated: is the capacity to vary in proprioceptive weighting
decreased in people with low back pain and if so, is this decrease responsible
for persisting of existing low back pain or initiating new periods of low back
pain? Secondary questions are: is there an association between
repostioningerror and the capacity to vary in proprioceptive weighting and, are
lifestyle factors of influence on this capacity?

The objectives of this study are to get insight in the following questions:
1) Is the capacity to vary in proprioceptive weighting decreased in persons
with low back pain?
2) Is this decreased capacity predictive for the course of low back pain?
3) Is there an associaton between the decerased capacity to vary in
proprioceptive weighting and repositioningserror?
4) Is a physical active lifestyle, with much variation in movement, and/or
sports with an appeal to stability under different external circumstances,
associated with the capacity to vary in weighting of proprioception?

Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Answering questionaires (5 minutes up to half an hour), taking the test (45
minutes), four times during one year answering an email questioning about the
number o low back pain periods during the last three months.