Lumbar muscularity and its relationship with age, occupation and low back pain

This paper considers an internal standard of lumbar muscularity. The cross-sectional areas (Acs) of the intervertebral disc and paraspinal muscles were measured in 147 working men from an axial magnetic resonance image passing through the L3-4 disc. Lumbar muscularity was expressed by two ratios; the ratio between the Acs of the right psoas and the Acs of the intervertebral disc (P:disc), and the ratio between the combined Acs values of the right erector spinae and quadratus lumborum and the Acs of the disc (ESQL:disc). When the subjects were divided into two age groups (76 aged 20-30 years and 71 aged 31-58 years) lumbar muscularity was found to be significantly greater (P less than 0.001) in the younger age group (P:disc = 0.8, SD 0.2; ESQL:disc = 2.0, SD 0.3) than in the older age group (P:disc = 0.7, SD 0.2; ESQL:disc = 1.8, SD 0.3). Lumbar muscularity was not significantly affected by occupation or by a history of low back pain.