A cross-sectional study comparing pain and disability levels in patients with low back pain with and without transitional lumbosacral vertebrae

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether patients with transitional lumbosacral vertebrae report more pain and disability compared with patients with normal lumbar vertebrae.

Methods: Radiographic and questionnaire data were collected from 353 patients with low back pain. Back pain severity was measured using 2 scales: one for pain over the entire episode and the other for pain during the previous week. All patients completed the Revised Oswestry Disability Questionnaire before radiography was performed. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with and those without a transitional lumbosacral vertebra. Differences between patient groups were investigated using the unpaired t test. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to investigate the effect of the transitional lumbosacral vertebrae on pain and disability controlling for the effects of age and sex.

Results: Forty-three patients (12.2%) had a transitional lumbosacral vertebra. There were no differences in pain or disability levels between the 2 groups on any of the pain scales or Revised Oswestry subscales. Older patients reported significantly more pain (P = .039) and disability (P = .002) than younger patients.

Conclusions: The presence of a transitional lumbosacral vertebra in this group of patients was not related to an increased level of reported low back pain or disability.