Correlation Between Spinopelvic Parameters, Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain.

STUDY DESIGN

This is an observational study.

OBJECTIVES

In general practice, it is noted that some people can deal more easily with a prominent belly than others. Recent use of spinopelvic parameters in the analysis of the spine might explain this observation. This study aimed to determine the correlation between pelvic incidence (PI), waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI) in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. We hypothesized that people with a low PI (non-pronounced lumbar lordosis) have significantly lower WC values than those with a high PI (pronounced lumbar lordosis).

METHODS

Adult patients presenting to the outpatient neurosurgery clinic with non-specific chronic low back pain who had undergone full spine radiography were included. The PI, BMI, and WC were measured in all cases.

RESULTS

We included 272 patients (male-female ratio, 1.08) with a mean age of 54 years. There was a statistically significant difference ( < 0.05) in the mean PI according to BMI group. The mean PI in our population was 57.8° (range 28.4-97.2°, SD 12.1°). A significant correlation coefficient of 0.271 ( < 0.001; 95%CI 0.157-0.377) was found between BMI and PI and 0.410 (-value < 0.001; 95%CI 0.262-0.539).

CONCLUSIONS

We found a significant correlation between PI, BMI, and WC. This finding is the first step in confirming our hypothesis that a patient with a high PI might be able to tolerate being overweight and a high WC better than patients with a low PI, possibly because of their ability to retrovert the pelvis to a greater extent. Further research is warranted to investigate whether people with a high pelvic PI can better cope with obesity, especially those with a higher waist circumference and abdominal weight.