Showing papers by "Mohamad Parnianpour published in 1991"

Effects of spinal flexion and extension exercises on low-back pain and spinal mobility in chronic mechanical low-back pain patients.

Abstract: It has been estimated that one fourth to one half of all patients treated in physical therapy clinics suffer from low-back pain. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of spinal flexion (Group I) and extension (Group II) exercises on low-back pain severity and thoracolumbar spinal mobility in chronic mechanical low-back pain patients. Both groups had significantly less low-back pain after treatment (P less than .10). There was no significant difference, however, between the spinal flexion and extension exercises in reduction of low-back pain severity. The results indicated a significant difference between the groups in increasing the sagittal mobility (P less than .10). The results did not indicate any significant difference between and within groups in increasing the coronal and transverse mobility of the thoracolumbar spine. Either the spinal flexion or extension exercises could be used to reduce chronic mechanical low-back pain severity, but the flexion exercises had an advantage in increasing the sagittal mobility within a short period of time.

Modeling of trunk muscle recruitment during isometric exertion

Abstract: Prior modeling approaches are reviewed, and a general nonlinear optimization model for trunk muscle recruitment is developed. The effects of the different cost functions and the load vector characterization on the predicted muscle tensions are investigated. Some of the model's limitations are discussed, and some results obtained using six different cost functions are presented and evaluated. >