• Masaki M
• Mano K
• Saito K
• Sugino A
• Taoka H
• Tanaka M
• Sasaki H
• Mihara C
• Yachi H
• Onda Y

• Aged
• Back Muscles / physiopathology
• Independent Living
• Low Back Pain / physiopathology
• Paraspinal Muscles / diagnostic imaging
• Ultrasonography

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of low back pain history (LBPH) with muscle mass, the amount of intramuscular noncontractile tissue of the back muscles, and sagittal spinal alignment in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: The participants, 74 community-dwelling older adults in Japan, were classified into control (CTR) (n = 65; mean age, 85.1 ± 7.1 years) and LBPH (n = 9; mean age, 88.6 ± 2.1 years) groups according to the presence of LBPH. Muscle thickness and the echo intensity of the thoracic and lumbar erector spinae, lumbar multifidus, and quadratus lumborum muscles were measured using an ultrasound imaging device. Sagittal spinal alignment in the standing and prone positions (thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and sacral anterior inclination angles) were measured using a Spinal Mouse.

Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis with forward selection showed that the muscle echo intensity of the lumbar multifidus muscle was a significant and independent factor of LBPH, while other factors were not. The muscle echo intensity of the lumbar multifidus muscle was significantly higher in the LBPH group than that in the CTR group.

Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that LBPH is associated with increased intramuscular noncontractile tissue of the lumbar multifidus muscle rather than back muscle mass or sagittal spinal alignment in community-dwelling older adults.

Author keywords: Aged; Back Muscles; Low Back Pain; Ultrasonography. 

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