Abstract
Women going through menopause experience bone loss and increased musculoskeletal pain, including low back pain. This study explored the relationships between bone mineral density (BMD) and body mass index (BMI), postmenopausal period and outcomes of treatment for low back pain in postmenopausal Korean women. On examining the medical records of 78 postmenopausal women hospitalized for low back pain, investigators found that women with low BMD were older and had been postmenopausal for longer periods than women with normal BMD. Postmenopausal length was positively correlated with pain scores at day 15 and 20 post-admission (P = 0.011 and 0.006) and negatively correlated with T-scores (P = 0.002). BMI was positively correlated with T-scores (r = 0.283, P = 0.022). In conclusion, age, postmenopausal length and BMI correlate with BMD in Korean women suffering from LBP. Larger studies investigating the associations between menopause, BMD, BMI and LBP seem desirable. Moreover, evidence-based therapeutic approaches should be explored for BMD and LBP management.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Margeaux Akazawa, Julie Omohundro and Katie Smith for their assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. This study was supported by the Jaseng Medical foundation (JP).
Conflict of interest
Drs. Joonshik Shin, Yousuk Youn, Eunseok Jin, Soonsung Hong, Sangho Lee and Sunkyu Yeom were employed at the Jaseng Hospital during the period of the study.
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Park, J.J., Shin, J., Youn, Y. et al. Bone mineral density, body mass index, postmenopausal period and outcomes of low back pain treatment in Korean postmenopausal women. Eur Spine J 19, 1942–1947 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-010-1559-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-010-1559-7