Lumbar Osteoarthritis Research Articles

Progress of research in osteoarthritis. Epidemiolgy of osteoarthritis in Japanese population. ~ The ROAD study ~

To clarify the prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP) and estimate the number of people with these conditions in Japan, we conducted a large-scale population-based cohort study entitled "Research on Osteoarthritis Against Disability (ROAD)". From the baseline data of the ROAD study, we found that the prevalence of knee OA in men and women was 42.0% and 61.5%, respectively, and that of lumbar OA was 80.6% and 61.5%, respectively. The estimated number of Japanese patients with knee OA and lumbar OA was approximately 25 million and 38 million, respectively.

Epidemiology of lumbar osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and their causal relationship—is osteoarthritis a predictor for osteoporosis or vice versa?: The Miyama study

In a 10-year follow-up of a population-based cohort of Japanese subjects, incidences of and causal relationships between osteoporosis (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA) at the lumbar spine were clarified. OP might reduce the risk of subsequent OA at the spine in women, but not in men. The aim of this study is to clarify the contribution of osteoarthritis (OA) to osteoporosis (OP) and vice versa. A population-based, epidemiological study was conducted in a Japanese rural community. From 1,543 participants aged 40-79 years, 200 men and 200 women were selected and followed up for 10 years. Bone mineral density measurements were repeated after 3, 7, and 10 years, and X-rays were repeated after 10 years. The incidence of lumbar OP per 10,000 person-years for persons in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s was 0, 0, 109.5, and 151.1 for men and 124.2, 384.0, 227.3, and 239.5 for women, respectively. The cumulative incidence of lumbar OA over 10 years aged 40-79 years was 25.8% in men and 45.2% in women. Cox's proportional hazards model showed no significant relationship between the presence of lumbar OA at the baseline and incidence of lumbar and femoral neck OP in both genders. A significant relationship was demonstrated between the presence of lumbar OP, not femoral neck OP, at the baseline and cumulative incidence of lumbar OA in women (odds ratio, 0.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.80; P = 0.02). OP in women appears to reduce the future incidence of OA at the lumbar spine.

Bone mineral density is not related to severity of osteoarthritis in the knee in postmenopausal women

Although some studies have suggested that osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are inversely related in epidemiologic terms, a spectrum of relations between the two diseases has been described in this study. In 95 postmenopausal women (mean age 64.4 +/- 8.49 years, range 49-83 years), we investigated the relation between bone mineral density (BMD) in the femoral neck and lumbar vertebrae (L2-L4) and osteoarthritis in the knee. BMD was measured with dual X-ray absorptiometry. Osteoarthritis was evaluated with anterior-posterior weight-bearing radiographs with the knee in extension, and these were graded for severity on a 5-point scale according to the Kellgren-Lawrence criteria. We found no clear statistical relation between BMD in the femoral neck or lumbar vertebrae and osteoarthritis in the knee. Given that some studies have found BMD to be significantly higher in patients with osteoarthritis, the lack of such relation in our patients may be due to environmental and/or genetic factors.

Is obesity a risk factor for low back pain? An example of using the evidence to answer a clinical question.

BackgroundObesity as a causal factor for low back pain has been controversial with no definitive answer to this date. The objective of this study was to determine whether obesity is associated with low back pain. In addition this paper aims to provide a step-by-step guide for chiropractors and osteopaths on how to ask and answer a clinical question using the literature.MethodsA literature review using the MEDLINE search engine using the keywords "obesity", "low back pain", "body mass index" "BMI" and "osteoarthritis" from years 1990 to 2004 was utilised. The method employed is similar to that utilised by evidence-based practice advocates.ResultsThe available data at this time is controversial with no clear-cut evidence connecting low back pain with obesity.ConclusionThere is a lack of a clear dose-response relationship between body mass index (BMI) and low back pain. Further, studies on the relationship between obesity and related lumbar osteoarthritis, knee pain, and disc herniation are also problematic.There is little doubt that future studies with controlled variables are needed to determine the existence of an unambiguous link, if any.

Measurement of the bone mineral density of the os calcis as an indication of vertebral fracture in women with lumbar osteoarthritis.

In women with lumbar osteoarthritis, measurement of the os calcis bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) as an indication of vertebral fracture was evaluated. The in vivo precision of the method was 1.28%. Age- and sex-matched control curves were evaluated using a control of 193 females. The correlation between spine BMD and os calcis BMD was significant (r = 0.65, p << 0.001). For the osteoporotic women without osteoarthritis (n = 34), there was no significant difference in the spine and the os calcis Z-scores (-1.99SD and -1.83SD respectively). Whereas for osteoporotic women with osteoarthritis (n = 30) the spine Z-score was -0.49SD the os calcis Z-score was -1.92SD. The difference was significant (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrate the superiority of the os calcis as a measurement site over the lumbar spine, in correlation with existing crush fractures in the presence of osteoarthritis. It is concluded that when lumbar osteoarthritis occurs measurement of the os calcis BMD using DEXA is clinically useful for the estimation of bone mass.

腰椎・骨盤リズムの生理的及び病的状態の観察

We observed lumbar pelvic rhythm with videocamera making landmarks on the body surface. Materials were divided into 3 groups as follows; control group (average age, 17.4 years), middle aged group (average, 35.4 years) and patient group with lumbar osteoarthritis (average 75.4, years). In control group, activities occured in both lumbar spine and pelvis on any range of trunk flexion. The ratio of lumbar flexion to trunk was significantly greater in below 50 degrees of trunk flexion than in above 50 degrees. We supposed this discrepancy to be lumbar pelvic rhythm. The rhythm which had been seen in control group was not obvious in middle aged group and patient group. The ratio of lumbar flexion to trunk flexion was significantly smaller in patient group than in the others.