Muscle Strength, Lumbar Curve, Fear of Movement and Functional Disability among Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Review

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.