Spino-pelvic alignment, balance, and functional disability in patients with low-grade degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis

Low-grade degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) is defined as less than 50% slippage of a lumbar vertebral body over the next most caudal vertebral body. Patients with DLS usually experience back pain, leg pain, and even falls.The pain intensity, static and dynamic balance, functional disability, and the spino-pelvic parameters of the radiography (pelvic incident, pelvis tilt, sacral slope, lumbar lordosis) were compared between the patients with DLS and without DLS (non-DLS).The results revealed that DLS patients were older, had greater angle of pelvic incidence and pelvic tilt, less stability and more low back pain than non-DLS patients.The pelvic tilt was the major compensating factor of spino-pelvic balance in both groups. Lumbar lordosis is positively related to body mass index. Sacral slope and lumbar lordosis contributed to partial compensation of balance of spinopelvic alignment in DLS patients, whereas sacral slope could be an indicator of fall risk in non-DLS patients.