• Yair Barzilay, Ganit Segal, Raphael Lotan, Gilad Regev, Yiftah Beer, Baron S Lonner, Amit Mor, and Avi Elbaz.
• Spine Division, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
• Eur Spine J. 2016 Sep 1; 25 (9): 2761-6.

PurposeTo assess the changes in gait pattern and clinical symptoms of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) following a home-based biomechanical treatment (HBBT).MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of 60 CNSLBP patients. All patients underwent a gait evaluation and completed self-assessment questionnaires at pre-treatment and after 3 and 6 months of a HBBT (AposTherapy). Twenty-four healthy, aged-matched individuals served as a reference group.ResultsSignificant differences were found in all gait parameters and clinical symptoms between patients with CNSLBP and healthy people before treatment. Significant improvements were found in all gait parameters and clinical measures following 6 months of therapy including an increase in gait velocity (10.6 %), step length (5.6 %), cadence (5 %), and quality of life and a decrease in pain (13.3 %). There were no significant differences between groups in the gait parameters following 6 months of treatment.ConclusionsSignificant differences exist between patients with CNSLBP and healthy controls in terms of gait pattern and self-assessed health status. The examined HBBT led to significant improvements in gait pattern, reduction in pain, improved function and increased quality of life. However, future studies should validate these results while comparing this treatment to other treatment modalities.

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