Abstract
BackgroundAlthough the relationship between low back pain (LBP) and the size of certain trunk muscles has been extensively studied, the relationship between gluteus maximus (GM) size and LBP has been only minimally examined. Determining whether such a relationship exists would help improve our understanding of the etiology of LBP, and possibly provide a rationale for the use of therapeutic exercise interventions targeting GM with LBP patients. The objective of this study was to compare gluteus maximus cross-sectional area in individuals with chronic LBP, and in a group of individuals without LBP. Our hypothesis was that individuals with LBP would have greater atrophy in their gluteus maximus muscles than our control group.Materials and methodsFor this case-control study, we analyzed medical history and pelvic computed tomography (CT) scans for 36 female patients with a history of chronic LBP, and 32 female patients without a history of LBP. Muscle cross-sectional area of gluteus maximus was measured from axial CT scans using OsiriX MD software, then was normalized to patient height, and used to compare the two groups. The number of back pain-related medical visits was also correlated with gluteus maximus cross-sectional area.ResultsMean normalized cross-sectional area was significantly smaller in the LBP group than in the control group, with t = 2.439 and P<0.05. The number of back pain-related visits was found to be significantly correlated with normalized cross-sectional area, with r = -0.270 and P<0.05.The atrophy seen in the present research may reflect incidental disuse atrophy seen with LBP, which is present in many muscle groups after prolonged immobilization or with a sedentary lifestyle.ConclusionsThis research demonstrated a previously only minimally explored relationship between gluteus maximus cross-sectional area and LBP in women. Further research is indicated in individuals with varying age, sex, and LBP diagnoses.
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) is a common and often debilitating health problem in the United States and worldwide
The atrophy seen in the present research may reflect incidental disuse atrophy seen with low back pain (LBP), which is present in many muscle groups after prolonged immobilization or with a sedentary lifestyle
In a previous study [28], we found that gluteus maximus (GM) cross-sectional area (CSA) correlated significantly with MF CSA in a cadaver sample of adult males
Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is a common and often debilitating health problem in the United States and worldwide. The relationship between low back pain (LBP) and the size of certain trunk muscles has been extensively studied, the relationship between gluteus maximus (GM) size and LBP has been only minimally examined. Determining whether such a relationship exists would help improve our understanding of the etiology of LBP, and possibly provide a rationale for the use of therapeutic exercise interventions targeting GM with LBP patients. Our hypothesis was that individuals with LBP would have greater atrophy in their gluteus maximus muscles than our control group
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