Comparison of lumbosacral alignment in Geriatric and Non-Geriatric patients suffering low back pain

Objective: Lumbosacral alignment is a crucial factor for an appropriate spinal function. Changes in spinal alignment lead to diminished body biomechanics. Additionally, lumbosacral alignment may affect quality of life, sagittal balance and fall risk in elderly. In this study, we aimed to compare lumbosacral alignment in geriatric and non-geriatric patients suffering from low back pain.

Methods: A total of 202 (120 male and 82 female) patients who visited to physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic with low back pain between January 2017 and August 2017 were enrolled in this study. Standing lateral lumbar radiographs were obtained from the electronic hospital database. Lumbar lordosis angle, sacral tilt, lumbosacral angle and lumbosacral disc angle were calculated on lateral standing lumbar radiographs.

Results: The mean age of the non-geriatric group was 43.02±13.20 years, the geriatric group was 71.61±6.42 years. In geriatric patients, lumbar lordosis angle, sacral tilt and lumbosacral disc angle were significantly smaller (p = 0.042, p = 0.017 and p = 0.017).No significant differences were observed in lumbosacral angle between the groups (p = 0.508).

Conclusion: Our study indicates the specific changes in lumbosacral alignment with aging. Identifying these changes in lumbosacral alignment in the geriatric population will enable to create proper rehabilitation strategies.