C0069 Correlation of the tensomiography characteristics of the superficial paravertebral muscles with the skin, subcutaneous and connective tissue thickness by rusi evaluation in the low back region: a pilot study

Background Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is the most prevalent muskuloskeletal condition in Europe (27%) and generates a high cost about 100€ per subject during 1 year. The CLBP origin remains unclear. Nevertheless, stated the relationship between muscular contractibility and CLBP. Consequently, the Council of the European Union (2010) recommended new assessment devices to evaluate the muscular tissue. The Tensomiography (TMG) is a tool which asses the contractibility characteristics of the superficial musculature. The Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging (RUSI) technique may be used to determine the thickness of the low back tissues. The aim of this study was to correlate the contractibility characteristics of the superficial musculature (TMG) with the thickness of the skin,subcutaneous and connective tissue in the low back region. Methods A sample of 50 subjects (32 men/18 women), between 25 and 53 years old, were recruited. All evaluations were carried out in prone position. Maximum radial displacement (Dm), contraction time (Tc), delay time (Td), sustained contraction time (Ts), and relaxation time (Tr) were recorded in the maximum lordosis point of the paravertebral muscles at 100 mA by TMG (TMG-BMC Ltd, Ljubljana, Slovenia), according to Rodriguez-Matoso et al. (2010). A diagnostic ultrasound system (Mindray Z6; Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics, Nansham, 518057, China) with a 5-to 10.0-MHz range linear transducer (7L4P type; 38 mm footprint), a frequency of 10.0-MHz, a total depth imaging of 4 cm and the focus located with a depth of 1.5 cm were used to assess resting B-mode ultrasound imaging at the end of expiration. A single rater used 3 repeated measurements, coinciding with the same point of TMG, to stablish the mean of the skin, subcutaneous tissue and superficial connective tissue thickness. The Spearman correlations test were carried out with a 95% confidence interval. Results The subcutaneous tissue thickness showed a negative moderate correlation (P Conclusions The connective tissue and skin thickness by RUSI needs to be stablished in the Dm and Tr assessments of TMG evaluation in the paravertebral musculature of the low back region, especially during interexaminer asessments.