Trial reportSkeletal radiology2013
Do more MRI findings imply worse disability or more intense low back pain? A cross-sectional study of candidates for lumbar disc prosthesis.
Trial report in Skeletal radiology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01704677 (Lumbar Disc Prosthesis Versus Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation in Chronic Back Pain and Localized Degenerative Disc. Long Term Follow-up of a Randomized Multicentre Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Lumbar Disc Prosthesis Versus Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation in Chronic Back Pain and Localized Degenerative Disc. Long Term Follow-up of a Randomized Multicentre Trial
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Associations Between Sum Scores or Combinations of MRI Findings in the Lumbar Spine and Low Back Pain-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations.AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology · 2015Pooled it
- The association between Modic changes and pain during 1-year follow-up in patients with lumbar radicular pain.Skeletal radiology · 2014Trial
- Combined Double-Coil and Handheld rPMS in Low Back Pain: An Observational Case Series Based on Routine Clinical Practice.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Psychophysiologic symptom relief therapy for chronic back pain: hypothesis and trial rationale.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Changes in physiotherapy students' beliefs and attitudes about low back pain through pre-registration training.Archives of physiotherapy · 2021Article
- Development of a Logic Model for a Programme to Reduce the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Rate for Non-Specific Lower Back Pain in a Tertiary Care Centre.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Feasibility study and process evaluation of MRI plus physiotherapy vs. physiotherapy alone in non-specific chronic low back pain among patients in Saudi Arabia.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2020Article
- Observational
- Significance of the Association between Disc Degeneration Changes on Imaging and Low Back Pain: A Review Article.Asian spine journal · 2020Article
- Associations between Paraspinal Muscle Morphology, Disc Degeneration, and Clinical Features in Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.Progress in rehabilitation medicine · 2020Article
- Facet arthropathy evaluation: CT or MRI?European radiology · 2019Article
- Five-year development of lumbar disc degeneration-a prospective study.Skeletal radiology · 2019Article
- Do lumbar magnetic resonance imaging changes predict neuropathic pain in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain?Medicine · 2019Observational
- Shoulder MRI features with clinical correlations in subacromial pain syndrome: a cross-sectional and prognostic study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Observational
- Clinical significance of magnetic resonance imaging findings in chronic low backache.The Indian journal of medical research · 2017Article
- Article
- Intervertebral disc and vertebral endplate subchondral changes associated with Modic 1 changes of the lumbar spine: a cross-sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Observational
- The associations between magnetic resonance imaging findings and low back pain: A 10-year longitudinal analysis.PloS one · 2017Article
- The relationship between findings on magnetic resonance imaging and previous history of low back pain.Journal of pain research · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo examine whether combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are related to the degree of disability and low back pain (LBP) in candidates for lumbar disc prosthesis surgery. MATERIALS AND
methodsThis cross-sectional study included 170 disc prosthesis candidates (mean age 41 years; 88 women) with chronic non-radicular LBP and localized disc degeneration. Experienced radiologists rated Modic changes and disc findings at L4-S1 on pre-treatment MRIs. An MRI total score (0-10) for findings at L4/L5 plus L5/S1 was calculated for Modic type I and/or II changes, a posterior high intensity zone (HIZ) in the disc, dark/black nucleus pulposus signal, and ≥40 % disc height decrease. We analyzed the relationship of the MRI total score to the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (n = 170) and LBP intensity scores (0-100 visual analogue scale, n = 165) using multiple linear regression and adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, smoking, and anxiety/depression.
resultsThe MRI total score was not related to ODI (regression coefficient 0.12, p = 0.79) or LBP intensity (regression coefficient 0.64, p = 0.37). When individual MRI findings were analyzed, patients with HIZ at L5/S1 had slightly lower ODI scores (4.7 points, p = 0.02). In post hoc analyses, results remained unchanged after adding facet arthropathy to the MRI total score and adjusting also for physical workload and physical leisure-time activity.
conclusionsThe combined MRI findings were not related to the degree of disability or the intensity of LBP. These degenerative MRI findings cannot explain variation in pre-treatment disability and pain in patients with chronic LBP accepted for disc prosthesis surgery.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.