15 February 2026 : Clinical Research
MRI-Based Assessment of Trunk and Hip Muscle Morphology and Strength in Chronic Low Back Pain
Danijel Ivanac
ABCDEF 1*, Hrvoje Vlahović ACDEF 2, Sandra Rusac Kukić ABCDF 3, Antonija Ružić Baršić ABCDEF 4, Andrica Lekić ABCEF 5, Juraj Arbanas ABCDEFG 6
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.951651
Med Sci Monit 2026; 32:e951651
Table 2 Cross-sectional areas (CSA, mm2) of trunk and hip muscles in patients with low back pain (n=50) and healthy controls (n=30). Values are presented as mean±SD. P≤0.05 indicates statistically significant differences.
| Muscle | Level | Right side | Left side | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experimental group (n=50) | Control group (n=30) | P | d | Experimental group (n=50) | Control group (n=30) | P | d | |||
| χ̄±SD | χ̄±SD | χ̄±SD | χ̄±SD | |||||||
| Trunk | PM | L1/L2 | 350.90±146,10 | 423.20±197.86 | 0.065 | −0.416 | 371.64±141.93 | 451.43±202.87 | 0.042 | −0.457 |
| L2/L3 | 746.20±269.27 | 1012.37±336.92 | <0.001 | −0.852 | 775,00±287.54 | 966.90±353.55 | 0.010 | −0.597 | ||
| L3/L4 | 1156.30±384.45 | 1473.97±440.70 | 0.001 | −0.763 | 1202.58±412.49 | 1452,07±428.66 | 0.012 | −0.579 | ||
| L4/L5 | 1463.70±488.92 | 1761,07±508.77 | 0.011 | −0.584 | 1466.32±460.79 | 1789,07±523.51 | 0.005 | −0.640 | ||
| L5/S1 | 1345.34±497.35 | 1565.23±468,09 | 0.054 | −0.441 | 1318.80±488.67 | 1584.87±463.70 | 0.019 | −0.536 | ||
| QL | L1/L2 | 291.42±121.20 | 336.87±144.77 | 0.135 | −0.327 | 321.36±127.74 | 348,13±169.28 | 0.425 | −0.180 | |
| L2/L3 | 442,10±184.84 | 502.70±232.74 | 0.202 | −0.287 | 509.36±191.73 | 562.77±281.32 | 0.316 | −0.233 | ||
| L3/L4 | 571.40±268,00 | 684.47±282.46 | 0.077 | −0.385 | 645.66±234.48 | 729.80±323.68 | 0.183 | −0.297 | ||
| ES | L1/L2 | 2222.46±509.66 | 2252.50±569.55 | 0.808 | −0.054 | 2225.42±482.63 | 2244.80±599,11 | 0.874 | −0.036 | |
| L2/L3 | 2263.80±518.75 | 2274.97±477,07 | 0.924 | −0.022 | 2319,10±492.96 | 2306.33±503.75 | 0.912 | 0.025 | ||
| L3/L4 | 2125,18±556.57 | 2105,03±376.65 | 0.861 | 0.040 | 2137.96±474.30 | 2118.50±466.27 | 0.859 | 0.039 | ||
| L4/L5 | 1475.70±476.24 | 1436,13±391.61 | 0.702 | 0.086 | 1428.84±383.36 | 1477.37±353.37 | 0.574 | −0.125 | ||
| MF | L1/L2 | 317.30±91.31 | 341,17±161.33 | 0.400 | −0.191 | 302.48±77,02 | 337.97±192,03 | 0.248 | −0.306 | |
| L2/L3 | 454.50±123.45 | 459.23±236.56 | 0.907 | −0.030 | 428.74±105.79 | 494.93±223.63 | 0.077 | −0.470 | ||
| L3/L4 | 669.30±162.66 | 688.67±241.36 | 0.669 | −0.099 | 653.88±173,02 | 680.63±229.38 | 0.556 | −0.127 | ||
| L4/L5 | 1071.58±218.78 | 1104.87±254.48 | 0.537 | −0.137 | 1046.72±198.95 | 1064,13±246.81 | 0.730 | −0.076 | ||
| L5/S1 | 1120.76±201.87 | 1113.70±183,14 | 0.876 | 0.035 | 1103,06±185,11 | 1114.73±192.45 | 0.789 | −0.059 | ||
| RA | S2/S3 | 792.36±226.67 | 1004.23±366,06 | 0.002 | −0.738 | 816.92±198,14 | 1020.70±391.40 | 0.003 | −0.732 | |
| Hip | IL | S2/S3 | 1439.52±482.54 | 1476.43±435.39 | 0.732 | −0.076 | 1419.94±476.26 | 1470.60±471.36 | 0.645 | −0.103 |
| GM | S2/S3 | 4714,18±1073.3 | 4980.30±1260.9 | 0.318 | −0.222 | 4619,14±1032,0 | 4793.80±1417.5 | 0.527 | −0.145 | |
| PM – psoas major; QL – quadratus lumborum; ES – erector spinae; MF – multifidus; RA – rectus abdominis; IL – iliacus; GM – gluteus maximus. | ||||||||||