High Prevalence of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Changes in Young Adults with Low Back Pain: Age and Gender Association

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is an increasing health concern in young adults. Most studies on LBP are conducted on middle aged or elderly population. This study was conducted to document anatomical variations and changes in lumbosacral spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of young adults presenting with LBP and to measure the association between the MRI findings and clinical features. Methodology: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 248 young adults between 18 and 40 years of age presenting with LBP. The MRI images were evaluated to document congenital anomalies and degenerative changes. The association between clinical features and MRI findings was measured using the Chi-square test. Results: 90% of subjects had chronic LBP. MRI changes were noted in 100% of the subjects. The most common finding among them was intervertebral disc bulge (97.2%), which mostly involved L4-5 disc. The major congenital anomaly noted was lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) in 12.6% of the study population, whereas there was no case of spina bifida occulta. Older age, female gender, and radiation of pain showed a statistically significant association with most MRI changes. Conclusion: This study reports a higher prevalence of lumbosacral spine abnormalities in young adults with LBP. The most common MRI change was disc bulge, and the most common anatomical variation noted was LSTV. The age and gender association signifies the need for early prevention and targeted interventions in high-risk groups.