ArticleArthritis research & therapy2019
High baseline fat mass, but not lean tissue mass, is associated with high intensity low back pain and disability in community-based adults.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, body fat rate, total body fat mass and risk of low back pain: 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 · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Differential brain response to a highly palatable drink in chronic low back pain patients.Journal of neurophysiology · 2026Article
- Higher lumbodorsal epimuscular fat associated with recurrent low back pain: an exploratory secondary analysis of cross-sectional MRI data with 1-year follow-up.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 · 2026Article
- Article
- Evaluation of Waist-Calf Circumference Ratio to Assess Sarcopenia in Older Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Observational Study.Clinical interventions in aging · 2025Observational
- Vertebral bone quality score was associated with paraspinal muscles fat infiltration, but not modic classification in patients with chronic low back pain: a prospective cross-sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Body composition and body mass index are independently associated with widespread pain and experimental pain sensitivity in older adults: a pilot investigation.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effects of weight loss through dietary intervention on pain characteristics, functional mobility, and inflammation in adults with elevated adiposity.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- Subjective assessment and biochemical evaluation of traction therapy in women with chronic low back pain: does body mass index matter? A clinical study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- Article
- MODERATING EFFECT OF BODY HEIGHT ON THE ASSOCIATION OF BODY WEIGHT AND DISABILITY CAUSED BY NON SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN WOMEN AND MEN.Acta clinica Croatica · 2022Article
- Sexual dimorphism in the prevalence, manifestation and outcomes of axial spondyloarthritis.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2022Review
- Associations Between Trunk Muscle/Fat Composition, Narrowing Lumbar Disc Space, and Low Back Pain in Middle-Aged Farmers: A Cross-Sectional Study.Annals of rehabilitation medicine · 2022Article
- Association between Fat Distribution and Chronic Low Back Pain among 10,606 Adults: Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Deciphering the Causal Relationships Between Low Back Pain Complications, Metabolic Factors, and Comorbidities.Journal of pain research · 2022Article
- Article
- Investigating the Causal Relationship Between Physical Activity and Chronic Back Pain: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.Frontiers in genetics · 2021Article
- Circulating Levels of Visceral Adipose Tissue-Derived Serine Protease Inhibitor (Vaspin) Appear as a Marker of Musculoskeletal Pain Disability.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Moderate or severe low back pain is associated with body mass index amongst community-dwelling older Australians.Archives of gerontology and geriatricsArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesLow back pain is the largest contributor to disability worldwide. The role of body composition as a risk factor for back pain remains unclear. Our aim was to examine the relationship between fat mass and fat distribution on back pain intensity and disability using validated tools over 3 years.
methodsParticipants (aged 25-60 years) were assessed at baseline using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure body composition. All participants completed the Chronic Pain Grade Scale at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Of the 150 participants, 123 (82%) completed the follow-up.
resultsHigher baseline body mass index (BMI) and fat mass (total, trunk, upper limb, lower limb, android, and gynoid) were all associated with high intensity back pain at either baseline and/or follow-up (total fat mass: multivariable OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09, p < 0.001). There were similar findings for all fat mass measures and high levels of back disability. A higher android to gynoid ratio was associated with high intensity back pain (multivariable OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.08, p = 0.009). There were no associations between lean mass and back pain.
conclusionsThis cohort study provides evidence for the important role of fat mass, specifically android fat relative to gynoid fat, on back pain and disability.
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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.