Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28748488›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2017

Association between paraspinal muscle morphology, clinical symptoms and functional status in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Maryse Fortin, Àron Lazáry, Peter Paul Varga, Michele C Battié

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Article in 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, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
80citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
5.7field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

80 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 146 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The association between changes in multifidus muscle morphology and back pain scores following discectomy surgery for lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.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 · 2022
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. 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 · 2020
    Pooled it
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  7. Correlation Between Paravertebral Muscles Degeneration and Spinopelvic Parameters in Patients With Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
    Article
  8. Comparison of paraspinal muscle changes after biportal endoscopic and microscopic lumbar discectomy or decompression.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 · 2026
    Article
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  11. Reduced paraspinal muscle endurance and electromyographic fatigability are associated with greater global spinal imbalance in symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis.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 · 2026
    Article
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  17. Comparison of electrical activity and ultrasonographic dimension of the cervical spine muscles in patients with cervical lateral spinal stenosis and asymptomatic controls.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 · 2025
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20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Maryse FortinPERFORM Centre, Concordia University, 7200 Sherbrooke West Street, PC 2.209, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada. maryse.fortin@concordia.ca.
Àron LazáryNational Centre for Spinal Disorders, Királyhágó u. 1, Budapest, 1126, Hungary.
Peter Paul VargaNational Centre for Spinal Disorders, Királyhágó u. 1, Budapest, 1126, Hungary.
Michele C BattiéCommon Spinal Disorders Research Group, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, 8205-114 Street, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G4, Canada.
National Center for Spinal Disorders · HUConcordia University · CAUniversity of Alberta · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeLumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a disabling condition associated with narrowing of the spinal canal or vertebral foramina. Paraspinal muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration have been reported in patients with chronic LBP and disc herniation. However, very few imaging studies have examined paraspinal muscle morphology and composition in patients with LSS. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of paraspinal muscle size, composition and asymmetry with functional status in patients with LSS.

methodsThirty-six patients diagnosed with LSS at L4-L5 with neurogenic claudication were included. Paraspinal muscle measurements were obtained from axial T2-weighted MR images, bilaterally, at the level of the superior and inferior vertebral endplates of L5. Muscle measurements of interest included: total cross-sectional area (CSA), functional CSA (FCSA), the ratio of FCSA to CSA (FCSA/CSA) as an indicator of muscle composition, and relative % asymmetry in muscle CSA. The association between muscle parameters and other patient characteristics with function as indicated from Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores and pain interference status was investigated.

resultsGreater multifidus muscle fatty infiltration (e.g., lower FCSA/CSA) and lower psoas relative CSA were associated with lower function (higher ODI and pain interference scores) in univariable and multivariable analyses. There was no association between the different muscle parameters and stenosis severity or back or leg pain duration or severity.

conclusionsOur findings suggest an association of multifidus muscle fatty infiltration and psoas muscle size with functional status in patients diagnosed with LSS. Future prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether such muscle parameters are associated with prognosis and functional recovery following surgical treatment.

Indexed as

Paraspinal MusclesSpinal StenosisCohort StudiesHumansLumbar VertebraeCross-sectional areaErector spinaeFatty infiltrationMagnetic resonance imagingMultifidusPsoasRehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID28748488
OpenAlexW2736356885

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.