ArticleArthritis research & therapy2015
Physical inactivity is associated with narrower lumbar intervertebral discs, high fat content of paraspinal muscles and low back pain and disability.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Causal links between multi-domain risk factors and intervertebral disc degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Mendelian randomization studies.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- The Impact of Exercise on Intervertebral Disc Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Is fatty infiltration in paraspinal muscles reversible with exercise in people with low back pain? A systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Pooled it
- Does pre-operative multifidus morphology on MRI predict clinical outcomes in adults following surgical treatment for degenerative lumbar spine disease? A systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Correlation of texture analysis of paraspinal musculature on MRI with different clinical endpoints: Lumbar Stenosis Outcome Study (LSOS).European radiology · 2019Trial
- Fat in the lumbar multifidus muscles - predictive value and change following disc prosthesis surgery and multidisciplinary rehabilitation in patients with chronic low back pain and degenerative disc: 2-year follow-up of a randomized trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Trial
- MRI scans of the lumbar spine in lower back pain-why are we missing the elephant in the room?Journal of surgical case reports · 2026Article
- Active and passive physical therapy in patients with chronic low-back pain: a level I Bayesian network meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2025Article
- Frequency and Correlates of Physical Activity Among Young Adults With Chronic Pain.The Clinical journal of pain · 2025Article
- Observational
- Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with chronic musculoskeletal disorders in Brazil: a network analysis of a population-based study involving 87,648 Brazilian adults.Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2025Article
- Association between modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors with paralumbar muscle health in patients with lower back pain.North American Spine Society journal · 2024Article
- Exploring the nexus between fatigue, body composition, and muscle strength in hemodialysis patients.European journal of medical research · 2024Article
- Genetic analysis of the causal relationship between gut microbiota and intervertebral disc degeneration: a two-sample Mendelian randomized study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024Article
- The relationship between clinical examination measures and ultrasound measures of fascia thickness surrounding trunk muscles or lumbar multifidus fatty infiltrations: An exploratory study.Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Sensorimotor, cognitive and affective behavior according to perceived level of disability in patients with chronic low back pain: an observational cross-sectional study.Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2023Observational
- Loss of lumbar disc height with age and its impact on pain and sensitivity associated behaviors in mice.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Article
- Article
- The association between morphological characteristics of paraspinal muscle and spinal disorders.Annals of medicine · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAlthough physical inactivity has been associated with numerous chronic musculoskeletal complaints, few studies have examined its associations with spinal structures. Moreover, previously reported associations between physical activity and low back pain are conflicting. This study examined the associations between physical inactivity and intervertebral disc height, paraspinal fat content and low back pain and disability.
methodsSeventy-two community-based volunteers not selected for low back pain underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their lumbosacral spine (L1 to S1) between 2011 and 2012. Physical activity was assessed between 2005 and 2008 by questionnaire, while low back pain and disability were assessed by the Chronic Pain Grade Scale at the time of MRI. Intervertebral disc height and cross-sectional area and fat content of multifidus and erector spinae were assessed from MRI.
resultsLower physical activity levels were associated with a more narrow average intervertebral disc height (β -0.63 mm, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.17 mm to -0.08 mm, P = 0.026) after adjusting for age, gender and body mass index (BMI). There were no significant associations between physical activity levels and the cross-sectional area of multifidus or erector spinae. Lower levels of physical activity were associated with an increased risk of high fat content in multifidus (odds ratio (OR) 2.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 6.7, P = 0.04) and high-intensity pain/disability (OR = 5.0, 95% CI 1.5 to 16.4, P = 0.008) after adjustment for age, gender and BMI.
conclusionsPhysical inactivity is associated with narrower intervertebral discs, high fat content of the multifidus and high-intensity low back pain and disability in a dose-dependent manner among community-based adults. Longitudinal studies will help to determine the cause and effect nature of these associations.
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