title: Clinical presentation of low back pain and association with risk factors according to findings on magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: We hypothesised that the relative importance of physical and psychological risk factors for mechanical low back pain (LBP) might differ importantly according to whether there is underlying spinal pathology, psychological risk factors being more common in patients without demonstrable pathology. If so, epidemiological studies of LBP could benefit from tighter case definitions. To test the hypothesis, we used data from an earlier case-control study on patients with mechanical LBP who had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbosacral spine. MRI scans were classified for the presence of high-intensity zone (HIZ), disc degeneration, disc herniation, and nerve root displacement/compression. Information about symptoms and risk factors was elicited by postal questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to assess associations of MRI abnormalities with symptoms and risk factors, which were characterised by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Among 354 patients (52% response), 306 (86.4%) had at least 1, and 63 (17.8%) had all 4 of the MRI abnormalities. Radiation of pain below the knee (280 patients) and weakness or numbness below the knee (257 patients) were both associated with nerve root deviation/compression (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4 to 4.5; and OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.1, respectively). However, we found no evidence for the hypothesised differences in risk factors between patients with and without demonstrable spinal pathology. This suggests that when researching the causes and primary prevention of mechanical LBP, there may be little value in distinguishing between cases according to the presence or absence of the more common forms of potentially underlying spinal pathology.
authors.affiliation: Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton, UK Centre for Defence Imaging, Portsmouth, UK MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shambrook
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McNee
authors.forename: Clare E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.forename: Keith T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coggon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000150:complications; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications; D016015:Logistic Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult