A comparative study of gait characteristics associated with and without degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

BACKGROUND

Reported characteristics of DS include forward slippage of the superior lumbar relative to the inferior lumbar, lumbar instability, increased lumbar lordotic angle, and high body mass index (BMI). However, to our knowledge, only static measurements were conducted in previous studies, and no dynamic observations exist. In this crosssectional study, the gait of patients with and without DS in LSS was compared, and their characteristics were examined using a three-dimensional motion analysis system.

METHODS

In total, 42 patients with LSS were included. Lumbar lordosis angle, sacral tilt angle, lumbar slip rate determined from X-ray images, the Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ), the visual analog scale (VAS), and BMI were evaluated. U-COM length was the distance between the upper center of mass (COM) and the body's COM, while L-COM length was the distance between the lower COM and the COM. Each DS and Non-DS group evaluation was compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Additionally, multivariate analysis was performed using factors with significant differences as explanatory variables and with or without DS as the target variable.

RESULTS

Lumbar lordotic angle was significantly higher in the DS group and there was a significant difference between U-COM and L-COM lengths in the sagittal planes at heel contact (HC) and toe-off (TO). L-COM length at HC and TO was a significant variable when the lumbar lordotic angle was adjusted as a confounding factor in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The U-COM and L-COM lengths in the DS group were both extended and the line connecting each COM was inclined backward on the sagittal plane at HC and TO during gait. Our study showed that L-COM length was associated with or without DS.