Abstract

Chronic low back pain is a widespread and expensive societal burden that is routinely near the top of the list of reasons people live with a disability. There is an undeniable connection between low back pain and psychological stress, and it has long been accepted that stress comes as a consequence of the burden of pain. Our group sought to determine if the inverse of this paradigm might be true: that stress may actually play a role in the etiology of low back pain through its influence on neuromuscular control and strategies for balance stability. In this dissertation, we include a brief review of the literature regarding the complex interplay of stress physiology, low back pain, and neuromuscular trunk control. In Chapters 2 and 3 we have included two manuscripts, the first of which is a published protocol for the Feigned Annoyance and Frustration Test—a novel modality that we have determined to be valid for inducing stress in a lab setting. The second manuscript includes our analysis of the neuromuscular impact of stress on a single leg balance task. In brief: individuals demonstrated decreased activation of key trunk muscles after exposure to stress and individuals with low back pain exhibited a greater number of differences in muscle activation compared to healthy controls. The final chapter includes a summary of suggestions for future research based on the components in our dataset that have yet to be explored.

LLU Discipline

Physical Therapy

Department

Physical Therapy

School

School of Allied Health Professions

First Advisor

Everett B. Lohman, III

Second Advisor

Lee S. Berk

Third Advisor

Robert I. Dudley

Fourth Advisor

Lida Gharibvand

Fifth Advisor

Jo A. Smith

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2024

Date (Title Page)

6-2024

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Low Back Pain; Stress, Psychological; Stress, Physiological

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

x, 71 p.

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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