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Upper lumbar disc narrowing may contribute to patient hip pain
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Researchers from The Netherlands have found an association between hip pain and narrowing of certain lumbar disc levels, according to this study.
After analyzing 2,819 lumbar radiographs of men and women, the researchers discovered that disc space narrowing grade ≥ 1 at level L1/L2 was significantly associated with hip pain within the last 30 days, while disc space narrowing grade ≥ 1 at level L2/L3 was only significantly associated with hip pain in women within the last month, according to the abstract.
They noted that disc space narrowing in lower levels, such as L3/L4/L5/S1, was not significantly associated with hip pain. Researchers scored hip osteoarthritis on anteroposterior radiographs and issued questionnaires for patients to report on their hip pain, according to the abstract.
“These results suggest that in case of uncertainty of the cause of hip pain, evaluation of lumbar radiographs may help to identify those hip pain patients who may benefit the most from further diagnostic evaluation,” the researchers stated in the study.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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