Relationship between paravertebral muscle degeneration and spinal-pelvic sagittal parameters in patients with lumbar disc herniation.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a clinically common degenerative disease of the spine, and spinal-pelvic sagittal balance and paravertebral muscle degeneration have been a research focus in recent years. To explore the relationship between the degeneration of paravertebral muscle and the changes in the spinal-pelvic sagittal parameters in LDH patients, 105 LDH patients (experimental group) and 63 healthy volunteers (control group) hospitalized in Ordos Central Hospital from January 2020 and January 2023 were included as study subjects. All the patients underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging and spinal X-ray using uniform criteria. The correlation between the paravertebral muscle and sagittal-pelvic sagittal parameters of the patients with LDH was obtained from two imaging examinations, and the data were organized and grouped to explore the correlation between these parameters. No significant difference in general data existed between the groups (P > 0.05). In the L4/5 LDH patients group, the ratio of fat infiltration (FIR) in the healthy side [multifidus (MF) and erector spinae (ES)] was negatively correlated with the lumbar lordosis (LL) (r = -0.461, r = -0.486, P < 0.05). The relative cross-sectional area (RCSA) of the bilateral MF was positively correlated with the pelvic tilt (r = 0.549, r = 0.515, P < 0.05). The bilateral ES RCSA was negatively correlated with the sagittal vertical axis (r = -0.579, r = -0.621, P < 0.05). A positive correlation existed between the RCSA and thoracic kyphosis in the healthy side ES (r = 0.614, P < 0.05). In the L5/S1 LDH patients group, a negative correlation existed between the FIR and LL in the healthy side ES (r = -0.579, P < 0.05). Thus, the paravertebral muscle parameters were correlated with the spinal-pelvic sagittal parameters in the patients with LDH.

Spinal­pelvic sagittal imbalance and paraspinal muscle degeneration in patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: A monocentric, prospective and observational study.

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) is a condition in which the body is held in a poor posture for a long period of time, resulting in a change in the stress structure of the lumbar spine that causes degenerative changes in the muscles of the spine. The sagittal balance of the spine and pelvis and the degeneration of the paravertebral muscles have been the focus of recent research. To explore the relationship between paraspinal muscle degeneration and changes in spine-pelvic sagittal parameters in patients with DLSS, 95 patients with DLSS (experimental group) and 70 healthy volunteers (control group) hospitalized in the Ordos Central Hospital between January 2020 and January 2022 were included as study subjects. All patients underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging and spinal X-ray using uniform criteria. The correlation between paravertebral muscle parameters and sagittal-pelvic sagittal parameters in patients with DLSS was obtained from two imaging examinations, and the data were organized and grouped in order to explore the correlation between these parameters. There was no significant difference in the general data between the two groups (P>0.05). In the L4-5 DLSS patient group, the ratio of fat infiltration in the right erector spinae (ES) muscle was negatively correlated with thoracic kyphosis (TK) (r=-0.536; P<0.05) but not significantly in the left side. The relative cross-sectional area of the left multifidus muscle (MF RCSA) was positively correlated with TK (r=0.685; r=0.615; P<0.05) but not significantly in the right side. In the L5-S1DLSS patient group, the right MF RCSA and right ES RCSA were significantly positively correlated with TK (r=0.685; r=0.615; P<0.05) but not significant in the left side. Thus, paravertebral muscle parameters were correlated with spinal-pelvic sagittal parameters in patients with DLSS.