ReviewEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2023
MRI image features with an evident relation to low back pain: a narrative review.
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, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
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
26 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- AI-Supported Functional Pain Phenotyping in Low Back Pain Using Sensor-Based Gait and Neuromuscular Biomarkers.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Relationship of disc degeneration after pubertal growth spurt to future low back pain: a longitudinal cohort 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
- Article
- Efficacy and Safety of the Use of Interspinous Spacers in the Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Mapping Gap and Scoping Review.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2026Article
- Brucellar spondylodiscitis mimicking lumbar discectomy with cauda equina syndrome: A case report.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Pain relief after CT-guided pars injections in lumbar spondylolysis: analysis of MRI findings and CT-contrast distribution.European radiology · 2026Article
- Synergistic Effects of Basivertebral Nerve Ablation Plus Schroth Therapy for Adult Scoliosis: A Multicenter Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
- Article
- Progression of lumbar disc degeneration: A 14-year follow-up study examining Pfirrmann grading and its individual disc components.Acta radiologica open · 2025Article
- Explainable AI reveals tissue pathology and psychosocial drivers of opioid prescription for non-specific chronic low back pain.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- AI-based lumbar central canal stenosis classification on sagittal MR images is comparable to experienced radiologists using axial images.European radiology · 2025Article
- Multivariable Analysis of the Association Between Lumbar and Lumbosacral MRI-Diagnosed Spinal Pathologies and Pain in Dogs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Polyphenols as Potential Antioxidants for the Treatment of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Current medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Effect of walking with an active ankle exoskeleton on the biomechanical responses of the lumbar spine.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Association between MRI measurements of lumbar spine alterations and self-reported outcomes of pain and disability in subjects with non-specific low back pain.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
- Lumbar foraminal stenosis was associated with back pain and leg pain: epidemiological evidence from a population-based cohort.Neuroradiology · 2024Article
- The importance of psoas muscle on low back pain: a single-center study on lumbar spine MRI.North American Spine Society journal · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeLow back pain (LBP) is one of the most prevalent health condition worldwide and responsible for the most years lived with disability, yet the etiology is often unknown. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently used for treatment decision even though it is often inconclusive. There are many different image features that could relate to low back pain. Conversely, multiple etiologies do relate to spinal degeneration but do not actually cause the perceived pain. This narrative review provides an overview of all possible relevant features visible on MRI images and determines their relation to LBP.
methodsWe conducted a separate literature search per image feature. All included studies were scored using the GRADE guidelines. Based on the reported results per feature an evidence agreement (EA) score was provided, enabling us to compare the collected evidence of separate image features. The various relations between MRI features and their associated pain mechanisms were evaluated to provide a list of features that are related to LBP.
resultsAll searches combined generated a total of 4472 hits of which 31 articles were included. Features were divided into five different categories:'discogenic', 'neuropathic','osseous', 'facetogenic', and'paraspinal', and discussed separately.
conclusionOur research suggests that type I Modic changes, disc degeneration, endplate defects, disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis, nerve compression, and muscle fat infiltration have the highest probability to be related to LBP. These can be used to improve clinical decision-making for patients with LBP based on MRI.
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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.