Characterisation of the correlation between standing lordosis and degenerative joint disease in the lower lumbar spine in women and men: a radiographic study.

BACKGROUND: Degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the lumbar spine is a common condition that is associated with chronic low back pain. Excessive loading of lumbar joints is a risk factor for DJD. Changes in lumbar lordosis significantly redistribute the forces of weight-bearing on the facet joints and the intervertebral discs. However, the relationship between lumbar lordosis and DJD has not been characterized in men and women. METHODS: We characterised the correlation between standing lumbar lordosis and DJD in standing radiographic images from 301 adult female and male chiropractic patients. DJD was rated using the Kellgren-Lawrence scale, and lordosis was measured using the Cobb angle. Linear and curvilinear correlations were investigated while controlling for age and sex. RESULTS: We found a highly significant curvilinear correlation between lordosis and DJD of the lower lumbar spine in both sexes, but especially in women, irrespective of the effects of age. We found the effect size of lordosis on lower lumbar DJD to be between 17.4 and 18.1% in women and 12.9% in older men. In addition, lordosis of 65 (95% CI 55.3-77.7) and 68 (98% CI 58.7-73.3) degrees were associated with minimal DJD in the lower lumbar spine of women and men respectively, and were therefore considered 'optimal'. This optimal lordotic angle was 73 (95% CI 58.8-87.2) degrees in older men. CONCLUSIONS: Both hypo- and hyper-lordosis correlate with DJD in the lumbar spine, particularly in women and in older men. These findings may well be of relevance to spinal pain management and spinal rehabilitation.

Association of Mild Leg Length Discrepancy and Degenerative Changes in the Hip Joint and Lumbar Spine.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between mild leg length discrepancy (LLD) and degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis. METHODS: We evaluated standard postural lumbopelvic radiographs from 255 adults (121 women and 134 men) who had presented with spinal pain for chiropractic care. Symmetry of femoral head diameters was used to exclude magnification errors. Pearson's partial correlation was used to control for age and derive effect sizes for LLD on DJD in the hip and lower lumbar motion segments. Krippendorff's α was used for intraobserver and interobserver reliability. RESULTS: A strong correlation was found between LLD and hip DJD in men (r = 0.532) and women (r = 0.246). We also found a strong correlation between LLD and DJD at the L5-S1 motion segment in men (r = 0.395) and women (r = 0.246). At the L4-5 spinal level this correlation was much attenuated in men (r = 0.229) and women (r = 0.166). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest an association between LLD and hip and lumbar DJD. Cause-effect relationships between mild LLD and DJD deserve to be properly evaluated in future longitudinal cohort studies.

Combined Chiropractic and Podiatric Treatment for Chronic Low Back Pain Concomitant With a Unilateral Pronated Foot: Protocol for a Multicenter Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe a protocol to examine the feasibility of combining podiatric orthotic treatment with multimodal chiropractic treatment to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP) in those with a functional short leg on the same side as a unilateral pronated foot. Methods: This is a protocol for a multicenter feasibility 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. One hundred and thirty-two adults with CLBP and a functional short leg on the same side as a unilateral pronated foot are to be recruited in Melbourne, Australia, and Madrid and Seville, Spain. Forty-four participants at each site are to be randomized to multimodal chiropractic treatment including spinal manipulation or to multimodal chiropractic treatment also involving spinal manipulation, together with podiatric custom-made orthoses. Chiropractic visits are to comprise 12 treatments over 4 weeks. Outcome measures will be recruitment, compliance, costs, CLBP-related disability, and perceived low back pain. Results: Feasibility results will be reported in text format and the clinical data reported using descriptive statistics focusing on any clinically significant results. Conclusion: This protocol describes a feasibility study for assessing the combination of podiatric orthotic treatment with multimodal chiropractic treatment to treat CLBP in those with a functional short leg on the same side as a unilateral pronated foot.

Chiropractic Management of Low Back Pain in a 75-Year-Old Man With Bilateral Developmental Hip Dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this case report is to describe chiropractic management of an elderly man with untreated bilateral hip joint dysplasia presenting with mild acute mechanical low back pain. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 75-year-old man presented with an insidious-onset intermittent low back pain of 3 days' duration. Physical examination findings supported a mechanical cause for mild acute low back pain. Plain radiography revealed dysplasia of hip joints with absence of femoral heads and necks and bilateral high dislocation. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Chiropractic management included vibration, mobilization, light drop-piece adjustments of the lower lumbar and sacroiliac joints, and recommendation of the use of heat at home. Treatments were given 3 times over the course of 1 week. The low back pain intensity over this period dropped from 5 to 0 on an 11-point numerical rating scale, and the patient was discharged. CONCLUSION: This patient with substantial postural and gait abnormalities as a result of severe bilateral hip dysplasia associated with an unusual pattern of osteoarthritic change in the spine responded favorably to a short course of chiropractic care.

Leg length discrepancy and osteoarthritis in the knee, hip and lumbar spine.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an extremely common condition that creates substantial personal and health care costs. An important recognised risk factor for OA is excessive or abnormal mechanical joint loading. Leg length discrepancy (LLD) is a common condition that results in uneven and excessive loading of not only knee joints but also hip joints and lumbar motion segments. Accurate imaging methods of LLD have made it possible to study the biomechanical effects of mild LLD (LLD of 20mm or less). This review examines the accuracy of these methods compared to clinical LLD measurements. It then examines the association between LLD and OA of the joints of the lower extremity. More importantly, it addresses the largely neglected association between LLD and degeneration of lumbar motion segments and the patterns of biomechanical changes that accompany LLD. We propose that mild LLD may be an important instigator or contributor to OA of the hip and lumbar spine, and that it deserves to be rigorously studied in order to decrease OA's burden of disease.

L'arthrose est une pathologie extrêmement fréquente qui engendre des frais personnels et des coûts de soins de santé importants. Un facteur important de risque reconnu pour l'arthrose est la charge mécanique excessive ou anormale sur les articulations. L'inégalité de longueur des membres inférieurs (ILMI) est une affection fréquente qui se traduit par une charge inégale et excessive non seulement sur les articulations du genou, mais aussi sur les articulations de la hanche et les segments mobiles lombaires. Des méthodes d'imagerie précises de l'ILMI ont permis d'étudier les effets biomécaniques d'une ILMI légère (ILMI de 20 mm ou moins). Cette étude examine l'exactitude de ces méthodes par rapport aux mesures cliniques de l'ILMI. Elle se penche ensuite sur l'association entre l'ILMI et l'arthrose des articulations des membres inférieurs. Mais surtout, elle examine l'association peu étudiée entre l'ILMI et la dégénérescence de segments mobiles lombaires et les tendances des changements biomécaniques qui accompagnent l'ILMI. Nous suggérons que l'ILMI légère peut être un instigateur important ou un facteur de l'arthrose de la hanche et de la colonne lombaire, et qu'elle mérite d'être étudiée de plus près afin de diminuer la charge de morbidité de l'arthrose.