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Year :2026
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Month :
March-April
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Volume :
15
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Issue :
2
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Page :
RO13 - RO18
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Degenerative Lumbar Spine Changes on MRI among Adult Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Cross-sectional Study
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Correspondence Address :
M Janani, R Mithun Raj, Joseph Manuel, Palle Manjunatha Reddy,
R Mithun Raj,
Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Ganapathychettykulam, Kalapet,
Puducherry, India.
E-mail: dr.muthu1211@gmail.com
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Introduction: Introduction: Low Back Pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition worldwide and a major cause of disability, particularly when associated with degenerative lumbar disc disease. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides high sensitivity and specificity for detecting disc degeneration and related changes in the lumbar spine, including spondylolysis and other structural abnormalities. Although MRI is the preferred modality for evaluating lumbar degeneration, relatively few studies have focused specifically on MRI documented changes in patients with chronic LBP presenting to tertiary care centres.
Aim: To characterise and describe degenerative changes of the lumbar spine as seen on MRI among adult patients with chronic LBP evaluated at a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry, India.
Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2023 to May 2025 at a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry, India, equipped with a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. The study included 190 adults aged over 30 years who presented with persistent LBP. Patients referred for MRI of the lumbar spine were recruited, excluding those with pain secondary to prior surgery, pregnancy, trauma, or neoplasms. MRI findings and relevant clinical data were recorded using standardised data collection forms and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Ethical standards were strictly followed, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Results: Among the 190 participants, 59.47% (n=113) were females and 40.53% (n=77) were males. The majority of patients belonged to the 41-60 year age group. MRI most frequently revealed degenerative changes at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 intervertebral disc levels. Disc bulge was observed in 96% of cases at L4-L5 and 82.1% at L5-S1, while disc herniation was noted in 22.1% and 15.3% of cases at these levels, respectively. Other common findings included facet joint arthropathy, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, lumbar canal stenosis, lateral recess compression, neural foraminal narrowing, and thecal sac indentation, all occurring predominantly at the lower lumbar levels. Degenerative changes were more common in females, and LBP without associated radiculopathy was relatively uncommon.
Conclusion: MRI findings demonstrated that degenerative alterations including disc bulge, osteophyte formation, spinal canal stenosis, neural foraminal narrowing, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, and thecal sac indentation were most frequent at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels in patients with chronic LBP. Comprehensive MRI evaluation of these regions is recommended. Targeted therapeutic approaches addressing nerve compression and biomechanical stress may prove beneficial. Future research should focus on treatment efficacy and long-term outcomes.
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