ArticleInternational journal of spine surgery2023
The Correlation Between Paraspinal Muscular Morphology, Spinopelvic Parameters, and Back Pain: A Comparative Cohort Study.
Article in International journal of spine surgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Paraspinal muscle quality in chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of muscle atrophy and fat infiltration.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 · 2026Pooled it
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Segmentation of Soft Tissue in the Diagnosis of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Scoping Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Frailty-Muscle Phenotypes Predict Outcomes After Lumbar Fusion in Adults Aged ≥75 Years: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Neurospine · 2026Article
- The Hidden Anatomy of Low Back Pain: Uncovering the Impact of Mamillo-Accessory Ligament Ossification.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Impact of paravertebral muscular atrophy in acute work-related low back pain: a retrospective cohort study.Skeletal radiology · 2026Observational
- Spatial patterns of fat within the deep multifidus as a biomarker for chronic low back pain.The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society · 2026Observational
- MRI Evaluation of Paraspinal Muscle Thickness and Interspinous Gap at the Lumbar Level: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study.Indian journal of orthopaedics · 2025Article
- State-of-the-Art Personalized Therapy Approaches for Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: Understanding the Mechanisms and Drivers.Pain and therapy · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe relationship between paraspinal muscle degeneration and low back pain (LBP), disability, and structural changes has been investigated in the literature, but it is still a matter of debate. We differentiated paraspinal muscle magnetic resonance imaging by quality and quantity, focusing on fatty infiltration (FI) and paraspinal muscles cross-sectional area (CSA) from T12 to S1 in patients with and without chronic LBP. We aimed to determine whether paraspinal muscle quantity (CSA) and quality (FI) are positively associated with LBP or degenerative/spinopelvic changes in the spine.
methodsBetween 2018 and 2021, we prospectively enrolled 205 patients aged between 18 to 65 years, of whom 153 patients had chronic back pain (back pain group) and 52 patients did not have chronic back pain (no back pain group), and collected clinicodemographic, structural, and spinopelvic data. We correlated these data with paraspinal muscle FI and CSA from T12 to S1. Multivariate models were run to highlight associations between pain, disability, or degenerative and spinopelvic parameters.
resultsAge was not associated with increased FI but consistently with decreased CSA values. After adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index, FI was associated with an increased risk of back pain (OR, 8.80; 95% CI, 1.9-39.79;
conclusionsFI on paraspinal muscle highly correlates with back pain and disability but was not found in structural and degenerative changes in the lower back. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings from this study are clinically relevant for patient counseling and rehabilitation strategies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.
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