Neuropathic Pain and Postural Stability in Patients With Lumbar Radiculopathy

Postural Stability in Patients With Lumbar Radiculopathy and it's Relation to Neuropathic Pain: a Cross Sectional Case-control Study

The aim of this study is to answer the questions below;

1. Is there a difference between patients with lumbar radiculopathy suffering from radicular pain and healthy subjects in terms of static and dynamic postural stability?
2. Is there a relationship between postural stability and the neuropathic characteristics of radicular pain?

Patients presenting to our outpatient clinic with radicular pain and MRI findings associated with radiculopathy will be tested for static and dynamic postural stability. Patient demographics, pain intensity, neuropathic pain scores, and level of disability will also be recorded. The demographic data and postural stability scores will also be collected for the control subjects. Differences between the patient and control groups in terms of postural stability parameters will be sought. In addition, the relationship between the variables representing balance in the patient group and the neuropathic pain score and disability will be investigated.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Having radicular pain due to lumbar disc herniation.
• Root compression on the dominant side on imaging.
• Root compression at no more than two levels.
• Radicular pain with at least 3 points on a numerical rating scale.

Exclusion Criteria:

• No radicular pain despite root compression on imaging.
• Midline disc herniation or root compression on the nondominant side.
• Radicular pain on the non-dominant side.
• Treatment with neuropathic pain medication or psychotropic medication.
• Loss of muscle strength on clinical examination.
• Evidence of lower extremity atrophy, joint contractures, shortening of limbs, or similar disabilities.
• Presence of vision loss, vestibular or neurological disorders that may cause balance disorders.