Associations between NCLBP, spinal sagittal alignment and age groups: a cross-sectional cohort study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Nonspecific chronic low back pain (NCLBP) is a prevalent condition affecting quality of life.
• The relationship between NCLBP, sagittal spinal alignment, and age is not fully understood.
• Degenerative spondylitis often underlies NCLBP, necessitating research into age-related alignment changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify typical sagittal alignment features in individuals with NCLBP.
• To explore the correlation between age and NCLBP-related sagittal alignment alterations.
• To compare sagittal alignment in young versus elderly NCLBP patients.

Main Methods:

• Measured sagittal parameters in patients diagnosed with NCLBP.
• Compared alignment in NCLBP patients against asymptomatic individuals.
• Analyzed compensatory mechanisms in spinal alignment.

Main Results:

• Elderly NCLBP patients (≥50 years) exhibited reduced lumbar lordosis (LL) and increased T1 pelvic angle (TPA).
• Age significantly correlated with TPA (r=0.549) and pelvic tilt (PT) (r=0.471).
• TPA demonstrated high diagnostic value (AUC=0.782) for geriatric NCLBP.

Conclusions:

• Decreased LL is a common sagittal feature in NCLBP.
• Elderly NCLBP patients often display anterior trunk inclination, indicating decompensation.
• TPA is a more effective diagnostic marker for geriatric NCLBP than LL.