Collision avoidance behaviours in chronic non-specific low back pain participants: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

International audienceObjective: Chronic non-specific low back pain (cNSLBP) is a leading cause of disability, influenced by bio-psycho-social factors. However, its impact on everyday activities such as navigating streets and interacting with other pedestrians remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess the effect of cNSLBP on perceptual-motor processes in a pedestrian crossing task, focusing on 1) collision avoidance behaviours, 2) the walker's role in avoiding collisions, and 3) the influence of pain perception.Methods: Seventeen asymptomatic adults (AA, 11 females, 46.4 ± 12.8 years) and seventeen cNSLBP participants (10 females, 47.9 ± 12.7 years) performed a task involving crossing paths at a 90° angle with another walker. Participants interacted in three groups pairings: AA-AA, AA-cNSLBP, and cNSLBP-cNSLBP. Key metrics included crossing order inversion, collision risk threshold informing movement adaptation, crossing distance, and the walker's contribution (speed/orientation).Results and discussion: No significant differences were observed between groups for the collision risk threshold (≈0.93 m) or crossing distance (≈0.8 m). However, cNSLBP participants exhibited distinct avoidance strategies, especially in cNSLBP-cNSLBP interactions, which showed more frequent inversions. When crossing first, cNSLBP participants contributed less, whereas when crossing second, they contributed more, primarily by adjusting their speed. A significant negative correlation emerged between depression scores and the level of contribution when cNSLBP participants crossed second.Conclusion: These findings suggest that pain perception may influence collision avoidance behaviours. Further research, potentially incorporating virtual reality, is needed to control environmental factors and deepen our understanding of these interactions