Lumbopelvic posture and coordination during walking between those who do and do not
develop prolonged standing induced low back pain
My name is Kailee Aston, and I am in the College of Education and Health Professions
majoring in Public Health. For my honors research during the Fall of 2024, I got to work
alongside my honors mentor, Dr. Kaitlin Gallagher, who is in the department of Health, Human
Performance, and Recreation. After graduation, I plan to attend chiropractic school in Dallas,
Texas starting in January 2025.
My research was examining if there is a difference between lumbopelvic coordination
during walking of those who do and do not develop LBP after 75 minutes of prolonged standing.
To accomplish this, a motion capture system was used to measure the walking of each participant
during the middle portion of their walk down a 12 m hallway. Participants will walk before and
after 75 minutes of standing, where they worked at a computer workstation. Pain measurements
were taken at the start of the experiment and every 15 minutes for 75 minutes using a 100 mm
Visual Analog Scale. This research will benefit healthcare providers so that they can design
treatment plans for those with low back pain, especially those who work in jobs that require
prolonged standing and walking. This research is important in real-life because lumbar spine
movement is crucial for a healthy walking pattern. Many Americans have jobs that require them
to stand for a long time and walk (e.g., healthcare or retail); however, prolonged standing has
been linked to musculoskeletal pain symptoms, such as low back pain. As a result, it is unknown
if standing for a long time or developing low back pain during standing affects how people walk,
specifically their lumbar spine coordination.
I chose this topic because my mentor, Dr. Gallagher was doing previous research already
over occupational work and spinal injuries, so I got the opportunity to join in on the research but
looking at lumbar spine coordination specifically. I found my mentor by looking at the list of
professors doing research and found the one that was the most interesting to me.
What I learned about my research topic was that out of the 36 participants, 10 people
developed standing induced low back pain and 26 did not develop low back pain after the 75
minutes of standing. Looking at axial twist deviation, the LBP group had a mean deviation of
18.41o[SD=7.1o] and the no pain developed (NPD) had a mean of 18.87o[SD=6.6o]. Poststanding, the deviation angle increased slightly for the LBP developers (26.11o[SD=8.8o]), but
there was a greater increase in those who developed no pain (22.98o[SD=8.2o]).
The participants who developed low back pain after prolonged standing had an increase in axial
twist deviation, meaning they had overall more variability (movement). Those who didn’t
develop low back pain had less variability but more flexion when walking. Before standing (pre, 0-min), both  groups had a mean deviation phase angle of approximately 40 degrees. The prestanding results showed LBP developers with a mean angle of 41.038 o[SD=5.6o] and NPD with 39.86o[SD=4.6o]. Post-standing, the LBP developers had a mean angle of 43.724o[SD=4.7o] and
NPD with 47.38 o[SD=3.8o]. In conclusion, participants who developed low back pain in our
study exhibited greater variability, likely as they adjusted their movements to relieve pain and
discomfort from walking.
This Grant allowed me to explore evidence-based practices and learn more about the
human body. This research is of value to my future field of study because understanding the
spine is crucial for chiropractic and learning how lumbopelvic coordination is different between
walking of people who experience LBP and those who do not after prolonged standing betters
my knowledge of the spine. Undergraduate research educated me on how to conduct studies,
understand data collection, and analyze and interpret scientific findings. This project also
improved my skills in utilizing scientific literature by finding information that is relevant to my
studies and using it as a base for research. I also learned the importance of evidence-based
practices, especially in the chiropractic field, in order to give the best treatment and advice for
the patient by referring to clinical research. I can use this knowledge to develop treatment plans
for patients who are experiencing LBP from prolonged standing and decide on the best course of
action using my background knowledge.
My mentor, Dr.Gallagher, played a huge role in my research, as much of the data
collected was from her previous study. She also guided me in analyzing the data and helped me
understand its significance.