Abstract
We investigated the response of postural sway during local vibratory stimulation of elderly people with/without low back pain in standing position by using our developed variable frequency vibratory stimulation device and a gravicorder. The vibratory stimulations of 30, 60, 150, or 240Hz were applied to the subjects' lumbar multifidus or gastrocnemius soleus muscles. As a result, statistical significant differences appeared in the relative proprioceptive weighting (RPW) ratios with_30Hz and 240Hz between elderly people with/without low back pain. Moreover it was found that there are correlations between the RPW with 30Hz and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, and between the RPW with 240Hz and the visual analogue scale of low back pain.
