Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31208400›Full record

Trial reportBMC musculoskeletal disorders2019

The effect of high-intensity resistance exercise on lumbar musculature in patients with low back pain: a preliminary study.

David B Berry, Jennifer Padwal, Seth Johnson, Erin K Englund, Samuel R Ward, Bahar Shahidi

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
5.1field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. 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 · 2023
    Pooled it
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  10. What Is 'Muscle Health'? A Narrative Review and Conceptual Framework.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025
    Review
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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

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

David B BerryDepartments of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Jennifer PadwalDepartments of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Seth JohnsonDepartments of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Erin K EnglundDepartments of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Samuel R WardDepartments of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Bahar ShahidiDepartments of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA. bshahidi@ucsd.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7532-6940
University of California San Diego · US

Funding

3D Quantification of Exercise-Induced Recruitment in Pathological Paraspinal MusclesR03HD094598 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI SHAHIDI, BAHAR · 2018 to 2019
$310k
NICHD NIH HHS R03 HD094598
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMuscle atrophy and fatty infiltration of the lumbar extensors is associated with LBP. Exercise-based rehabilitation targets strengthening these muscles, but few studies show consistent changes in muscle quality with standard-of-care rehabilitation. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of high-intensity resistance exercise on lumbar extensor muscle size (cross sectional area) and quality (fat fraction) in individuals with low back pain (LBP).

methodsFourteen patients with LBP were recruited from a local rehabilitation clinic. Patients underwent MRI scanning before and after a standardized 10-week high-intensity machine-based, resistance exercise program. Patient pain, disability, anxiety/depression, satisfaction, strength, and range of motion was compared pre- and post-rehabilitation using analysis of covariance (covariates: age, gender). Exercise-induced changes in MRI, and patient functional outcome measures were correlated using Pearson's correlation test.

resultsNo significant differences were found in muscle size or fatty infiltration of the lumbar extensors over the course of rehabilitation (p > 0.31). However, patients reported reduced pain (p = 0.002) and were stronger (p = 0.03) at the conclusion of the program. Improvements in muscle size and quality for both multifidus and erector spinae correlated with improvements in disability, anxiety/depression, and strength.

conclusionWhile average muscle size and fatty infiltration levels did not change with high-intensity exercise, the results suggest that a subgroup of patients who demonstrate improvements in muscle health demonstrate the largest functional improvements. Future research is needed to identify which patients are most likely to respond to this type of treatment.

Indexed as

Resistance TrainingAdultAgedCohort StudiesExercise TherapyFemaleHumansLow Back PainMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedMuscular AtrophyParaspinal MusclesStandard of CareTreatment OutcomeLow back painLumbar muscleMRIRehabilitationResistance based exercise

Identifiers

PMID31208400
PMCPMC6580468
OpenAlexW2950465687

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.