The association of back muscle strength and sarcopenia-related parameters in the patients with spinal disorders

To evaluate the correlations between back muscle strength, trunk muscle mass, and sarcopenia-related parameters in patients with spinal disorders.

This cross-sectional observational study included 230 consecutive patients with spinal disorders who visited our outpatient clinic (age range 65-92 years). We measured back muscle strength, handgrip strength, gait speed, and appendicular and trunk skeletal muscle mass using bioimpedance analysis. We classified the subjects into the sarcopenia, dynapenia, or normal stages in accordance with the guidelines set by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, and used the cutoff values reported in the guidelines set by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia.

Back muscle strength was significantly correlated with trunk muscle mass (males: r = 0.47, P < 0.001; females: r = 0.39, P < 0.001), handgrip strength (males: r = 0.67, P < 0.001; females: r = 0.59, P < 0.001), and gait speed (males: r = 0.49, P < 0.001; females: r = 0.51, P < 0.001). The respective incidences of the sarcopenia, dynapenia, and normal stages were 16.4%, 26.7%, and 56.9% for males, and 23.7%, 50.9%, and 25.4% for females. Dynapenia was significantly more prevalent in females than in males. Back muscle strength in the normal group was significantly greater than that in the sarcopenic and dynapenic groups.

Back muscle strength is significantly correlated with trunk muscle mass and sarcopenia-related parameters in patients with spinal disorders. Back muscle strength in the sarcopenic stage is significantly lesser than that in the normal stage. Although sarcopenia is a multifaceted geriatric syndrome, spinal disorders might be one of the risk factors for disease-related sarcopenia. These slides can be retrieved from Electronic Supplementary Material.