Ultrasound evidence of altered lumbar connective tissue structure in human subjects with chronic low back pain
Three pages on PainSci cite Langevin 2009: 1. The Complete Guide to Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain 2. Quite a Stretch 3. Does Fascia Matter?
PainSci notes on Langevin 2009:
Researchers measured the thickness of lumbar connective tissues with ultrasound in 60 chronic low back pain patients and 47 health people. The fascia was about 25% thicker in people with back pain, which is quite a bit, and a surprising finding with potentially major — but unknown — clinical significance. The authors suggest that it could be related to “genetic factors, abnormal movement patterns and chronic inflammation.”
This observation has not been reproduced by other researchers, but a follow-up study in 2011 examined the flexibility of the same tissue, and found it was about 20% less in back pain patients: see Langevin for more commentary on the implications of both studies.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
BACKGROUND: Although the connective tissues forming the fascial planes of the back have been hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic low back pain (LBP), there have been no previous studies quantitatively evaluating connective tissue structure in this condition. The goal of this study was to perform an ultrasound-based comparison of perimuscular connective tissue structure in the lumbar region in a group of human subjects with chronic or recurrent LBP for more than 12 months, compared with a group of subjects without LBP.
METHODS: In each of 107 human subjects (60 with LBP and 47 without LBP), parasagittal ultrasound images were acquired bilaterally centered on a point 2 cm lateral to the midpoint of the L2-3 interspinous ligament. The outcome measures based on these images were subcutaneous and perimuscular connective tissue thickness and echogenicity measured by ultrasound.
RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, sex, body mass index (BMI) or activity levels between LBP and No-LBP groups. Perimuscular thickness and echogenicity were not correlated with age but were positively correlated with BMI. The LBP group had approximately 25% greater perimuscular thickness and echogenicity compared with the No-LBP group (ANCOVA adjusted for BMI, p<0.01 and p<0.001 respectively).
CONCLUSION: This is the first report of abnormal connective tissue structure in the lumbar region in a group of subjects with chronic or recurrent LBP. This finding was not attributable to differences in age, sex, BMI or activity level between groups. Possible causes include genetic factors, abnormal movement patterns and chronic inflammation.
related content
- “Reduced thoracolumbar fascia shear strain in human chronic low back pain,” Langevin et al, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2011.
- “Ultrasound evaluation of the combined effects of thoracolumbar fascia injury and movement restriction in a porcine model,” Bishop et al, PLoS ONE, 2016.
- “Effect of stretching on thoracolumbar fascia injury and movement restriction in a porcine model,” Langevin et al, Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 2017.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion achilles tendinopathy (the NEAT trial): a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Kirwan 2024 Br J Sports Med.
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- Moderators of the effect of therapeutic exercise for knee and hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Holden 2023 The Lancet Rheumatology.