ReviewEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2021
Paraspinal muscle imaging measurements for common spinal disorders: review and consensus-based recommendations from the ISSLS degenerative spinal phenotypes group.
Review 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, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06974721 (Wearable Flexible Sensors for Spinal Motion Monitoring in Spinal Diseases), which is not on this map. Cited by 57 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Wearable Flexible Sensors for Spinal Motion Monitoring in Spinal Diseases
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- Spinal Muscle Health in Chronic Low Back Pain: An Integrated Narrative Review of Muscle Quality, Function, and Clinical Implications.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Spinal mobility and paraspinal muscle degeneration: a cross-sectional analysis from the Berlin Back 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 · 2026Article
- Automated lumbar muscles segmentation with segment anything model for adult degenerative scoliosis.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
- Clinical significance and future applications of standardized imaging parameters for assessing paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration in lumbar degenerative disease: a narrative review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Review
- Degeneration of paraspinal and gluteus medius muscles in nonspecific chronic low back pain: a quantitative MRI 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 · 2026Article
- The effect of a multimodal exercise program on paraspinal muscle morphology and clinical outcomes in chronic low back pain.Isokinetics and exercise science · 2026Article
- Article
- Relationship between facet joint osteoarthritis and multifidus fat infiltration in patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The association of lumbar paraspinal muscle size and quality with physical function, disability, and pain in adults with chronic low back pain.JOSPT open · 2026Article
- Article
- Advances in mechanical assessments of in vivo human lumbar spine tissues with noninvasive imaging techniques.npj biomedical innovations · 2026Review
- Article
- Pathogenic mechanisms of adult degenerative scoliosis.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- The effect of baseline spinal magnetic resonance imaging features on restorative neurostimulation efficacy in patients with chronic low back pain.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2025Article
- The "greta oto" sign for diagnosing axial myopathy with low back pain as the major clinical manifestation: a novel MRI sign with report of four cases.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 · 2025Article
- Development and reliability of a systematic method to evaluate lumbar paraspinal muscle size and quality in computed tomography images.North American Spine Society journal · 2025Article
- Isolated lumbar extension exercise alone or in a multimodal program for low back pain and radiculopathy: a non-randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Risk factors for pedicle screw loosening: a comprehensive review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Review
- Paraspinal muscles and gluteus medius fat infiltration are both associated with lumbar disc herniation.Insights into imaging · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeParaspinal muscle imaging is of growing interest related to improved phenotyping, prognosis, and treatment of common spinal disorders. We reviewed issues related to paraspinal muscle imaging measurement that contribute to inconsistent findings between studies and impede understanding.
methodsThree key contributors to inconsistencies among studies of paraspinal muscle imaging measurements were reviewed: failure to consider possible mechanisms underlying changes in paraspinal muscles, lack of control of confounding factors, and variations in spinal muscle imaging modalities and measurement protocols. Recommendations are provided to address these issues to improve the quality and coherence of future research.
resultsPossible pathophysiological responses of paraspinal muscle to various common spinal disorders in acute or chronic phases are often overlooked, yet have important implications for the timing, distribution, and nature of changes in paraspinal muscle. These considerations, as well as adjustment for possible confounding factors, such as sex, age, and physical activity must be considered when planning and interpreting paraspinal muscle measurements in studies of spinal conditions. Adoption of standardised imaging measurement protocols for paraspinal muscle morphology and composition, considering the strengths and limitations of various imaging modalities, is critically important to interpretation and synthesis of research.
conclusionStudy designs that consider physiological and pathophysiological responses of muscle, adjust for possible confounding factors, and use common, standardised measures are needed to advance knowledge of the determinants of variations or changes in paraspinal muscle and their influence on spinal health.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.