Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Functional Rehabilitation: Managing Low Back Pain Through Activities-Of-Daily-Living Education, Timothy E. Speicher, R. Daniel Martin, Robert M. Desimone

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

After trauma to the low back, a decrease in intervertebral joint stiffness can occur, which can lead to inability of the motor-control system to compensate for the tasks imposed on the tissues, resulting in spinal instability. Intervertebral joint stiffness can be thought of as a tightening of a corset around a spine segment, facilitated through coactivation of small and large spinal muscles. The motor-control system might be able to adapt initially with cocontractions of the intrinsic muscles, but an unbalanced demand between the small and large muscles can lead to muscle fatigue and poor task performance. The inability of the …