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Table 2 Univariate linear regression analyses, adjusted for age and sex

From: Back pain was less explained than leg pain: a cross-sectional study using magnetic resonance imaging in low back pain patients with and without radiculopathy

 

Back + leg pain (0–60)

Back pain (0–30)

Leg pain (0–30)

(N = 134)

(N = 135)

(N = 137)

MRI variable

n (%)

β

(95 % CI)

p

β

(95 % CI)

p

β

(95 % CI)

p

Nucleus signal change

          

 Max score

   

0.352*

  

0.137*

  

0.772*

  Hyperintense

          

    with band

18 (13)

ref.

  

ref.

  

ref.

  

  Intermediate

119 (84)

1.21

(−4.96, 7.38)

0.699

−0.05

(−3.28, 3.18)

0.975

0.99

(−3.28, 5.27)

0.646

  Hypointense

4 (3)

9.63

(−3.67, 22.9)

0.154

6.39

(−0.58, 13.4)

0.072

3.24

(−5.98, 12.5)

0.488

 Sum score (ref. with band)

 

−0.23

(−1.53, 1.07)

0.724

0.24

(−0.45, 0.93)

0.490

−0.43

(−1.32, 0.45)

0.336

 Present ( − )

123 (87)

1.44

(−4.74, 7.62)

0.645

0.12

(−3.14, 3.39)

0.941

1.05

(−3.20, 5.31)

0.625

Osteophytes

          

 Absent

45 (32)

         

 Sum score (ref. absent)

 

0.65

(−0.31, 1.61)

0.184

0.22

(−0.28, 0.73)

0.382

0.38

(−0.26, 1.03)

0.242

 Present ( − )

96 (68)

1.55

(−3.15, 6.25)

0.469

−0.22

(−2.69, 2.25)

0.859

2.05

(−1.14, 5.25)

0.207

Disc height reduction

          

  Max score

   

0.250*

  

0.631*

  

0.115*

   Absent

28 (20)

ref.

  

ref.

  

ref.

  

   Slight

40 (28)

5.06

(−0.85, 11.0)

0.093

0.98

(−2.15, 4.11)

0.536

3.97

(−0.06, 8.02)

0.054

   Moderate

63 (45)

1.89

(−3.73, 7.52)

0.507

−0.77

(−3.76, 2.32)

0.614

2.18

(−1.65, 6.00)

0.263

   Severe

10 (7)

6.81

(−2.52, 16.1)

0.151

0.15

(−4.82, 5.13)

0.951

6.64

(0.25, 13.0)

0.042

  Sum score (ref. absent)

 

0.36

(−0.57, 1.29)

0.447

0.08

(−0.42, 0.57)

0.757

0.24

(−0.39, 0.88)

0.453

  Present ( − )

113 (80)

3.53

(−1.63, 8.70)

0.178

0.02

(−2.72, 2.76)

0.987

3.21

(−0.33, 6.74)

0.075

High Intensity Zone

          

  Absent

42 (30)

         

  Sum score (ref. absent)

          

  Present ( − )

99 (70)

−0.05

(−2.40, 2.30)

0.969

−0.41

(−1.65, 0.83)

0.513

0.41

(−1.20, 2.00)

0.617

2.74

(−1.83, 7.31)

0.238

−0.66

(−3.07, 1.76)

0.593

3.53

(0.46, 6.60)

0.025

Protrusion/ herniation

          

  Max score

   

0.548*

  

0.154*

  

0.032*

   Absent

15 (11)

ref.

  

ref.

  

ref.

  

   Bulging

23 (16)

−1.94

(−10.3, 6.31)

0.637

0.12

(−4.19, 4.43)

0.956

−2.55

(−8.03, 2.94)

0.360

   Protrusion

          

     Broad

7 (5)

−2.55

(−13.5, 8.42)

0.646

0.09

(−5.61, 5.79)

0.976

−2.63

(−9.51, 4.70)

0.479

     Focal

48 (34)

2.77

(−4.49, 10.0)

0.452

1.48

(−2.29, 5.25)

0.439

1.29

(−3.56, 6.13)

0.600

   Extrusion

40 (28)

1.28

(−6.37, 8.94)

0.740

−2.41

(−6.37, 1.54)

0.229

3.21

(−1.87, 8.29)

0.214

   Sequestration

8 (6)

6.18

(−5.35, 17.7)

0.291

−1.49

(−7.48, 4.50)

0.624

7.65

(−0.05, 15.3)

0.051

  Sum score (ref. absent)

 

0.03

(−0.82, 0.86)

0.939

−0.24

(−0.69, 0.21)

0.290

0.29

(−0.29, 0.86)

0.328

  Present (−)

126 (89)

1.78

(−5.61, 7.97)

0.732

−0.05

(−3.63, 3.54)

0.979

0.97

(−3.70, 5.65)

0.681

MRI nerve root signa

          

 Max score

   

0.688*

  

0.023*

  

0.104*

  No touch

52 (37)

ref.

  

ref.

  

ref.

  

  Touch

31 (22)

2.95

(−2.59, 8.49)

0.294

1.79

(−1.05, 4.62)

0.214

1.42

(−2.31, 5.16)

0.452

  Displacement

37 (26)

2.59

(−2.87, 8.05)

0.349

−0.98

(−3.77, 1.82)

0.490

3.45

(−0.19, 7.08)

0.063

  Compression

21 (15)

1.02

(−5.80, 7.84)

0.769

−3.90

(−7.30, −0.49)

0.025

5.09

(0.55, 9.62)

0.028

 Sum score (ref. no touch)

 

0.20

(−1.46, 1.86)

0.813

−0.82

(−1.67, 0.04)

0.062

0.90

(−0.20, 2.00)

0.109

 Present (−)

89 (73)

2.43

(−1.97, 6.83)

0.276

−0.49

(−2.81, 1.84)

0.679

2.97

(0.00, 5.94)

0.050

Spinal stenosis

          

 Max score

   

0.587*

  

0.426*

  

0.894*

  Absent

123 (87)

ref.

        

  Relative

14 (10)

3.81

(−3.48, 11.1)

0.303

2.44

(−1.41, 6.28)

0.212

0.51

(−4.35, 5.38)

0.768

  Severe

4 (3)

1.11

(−11.4, 13.6)

0.861

−0.74

(−7.34, 5.86)

0.825

1.95

(−6.70, 10.6)

0.657

 Sum score (ref. absent)

 

1.24

(−1.63, 4.11)

0.393

0.45

(−1.06, 1.97)

0.554

0.52

(−1.41, 2.45)

0.594

 Present (−)

18 (13)

1.90

(−3.12, 6.92)

0.455

0.79

(−1.86, 3.44)

0.556

0.78

(−2.63, 4.18)

0.653

Modic changes

          

 Type

   

0.242*

  

0.109*

  

0.708*

  Absent

57 (40)

ref.

  

ref.

  

ref.

  

  Type 1

25 (18)

0.72

(−5.29, 6.73)

0.813

1.52

(−1.63, 4.66)

0.341

−0.96

(−5.08, 3.16)

0.609

  Type 2

59 (42)

−3.54

(−8.47, 1.39)

0.157

−1.73

(−4.30, 0.85)

0.187

−1.42

(−4.83, 1.99)

0.412

 Sum score (ref. abs.)

 

0.13

(−0.51, 0.77)

0.689

0.08

(−0.26, 0.42)

0.642

0.05

(−0.39, 0.49)

0.812

 Present (ref. abs.)

84 (60)

−2.12

(−6.65, 2.41)

0.356

−0.64

(−3.03, 1.74)

0.594

−1.26

(−4.37, 1.84)

0.464

  1. β regression coefficient; CI confidence interval; ref reference. P-values less than 0.05 indicated by Italics
  2. Back + leg pain, back pain and leg pain were dependent variables. The degenerative manifestations were described blinded and standardised and expressed as ‘max scores’, ‘sum scores’ and ‘present vs. not present’. A ‘max score’ shows the number of patients with the manifestation indicated as the worst manifestation. The distribution of degenerative manifestations across the lumbar segments has been published elsewhere [6]
  3. The numbers in subgroups not adjusted for missing values
  4. *Overall p by Wald’s test
  5. aThe highest adj. R2 = 0.10 (back pain intensity), all other < 0.10