No alteration of back muscle oxygenation during isometric exercise in individuals with non-specific low back pain.

The aim of our study was (I) To compare back muscle oxygenation and perfusion as well as Biering-Sorensen muscle endurance (BSME) test holding times between chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) patients and asymptomatic controls matched for age, body mass index (BMI), sex and physical activity, and (II) to investigate factors associated with BSME holding times. Muscle perfusion (tHb) and oxygenation (SmO2) were measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) based oximetry in three back muscles during the BSME. Reliability of tHb and SmO2 was assessed in a separate sample. BSME holding time and SmO2 were compared between patients (n = 45) and controls (n = 45) and factors associated with BSME holding time were assessed using multiple linear regression. Reliability for SmO2 was excellent (ICC = 0.87-0.99). THb showed poor to moderate reliability and was not further used. Groups differed for BSME holding time (P = 0.03), pain intensity (P ≤ 0.0005) and subcutaneous tissue thickness (P = 0.01) but not for NIRS measures. Physical activity and BMI were associated with BSME holding times. Insufficient muscle oxygenation does not seem to be a major factor contributing to CNSLBP. Future investigation should evaluate other determinants of BSME holding times, such as motivation and recruitment of auxiliary muscles.

Comparison of Two NIRS Tissue Oximeters (Moxy and Nimo) for Non-Invasive Assessment of Muscle Oxygenation and Perfusion.

BACKGROUND: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) tissue oximeters enable non-invasive measurement of muscle oxygenation and perfusion. Several NIRS oximeters are currently available, particularly for muscle measurements. AIM: To evaluate the agreement of oxygenation and perfusion measurements obtained by two devices (Moxy, Fortiori Designs LLC, USA, and Nimo, Nirox, Italy) during an arterial occlusion test on the arm. SUBJECT AND METHODS: Arterial occlusions were conducted at the arm of one individual for 10 min with 200 mmHg. Measurements were made twice a day on five different days. Both NIRS devices were fixed at the arm (covering the muscles extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor digitorum, and flexor carpi ulnaris). RESULTS: The experiment revealed that i) both devices could detect changes in muscle oxygenation and perfusion during the occlusion, but ii) the magnitudes and dynamic changes differed between the two devices. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Both devices had different performances with regard to the measurement of tissue oxygenation and perfusion. This study shows that it might be worthwhile to compare all NIRS tissue oximeters currently available for muscle measurement in a large systematic study to increase the comparability of measurements obtained with different devices.