Associations between cervical disc degeneration and muscle strength in a cross-sectional population-based study

Abstract

The physical and biochemical factors related to cervical disc degeneration (CDD), which is involved in several spinal disorders, remain uncertain. We investigated associations between CDD and muscle strength in a general Japanese population. We used mid-sagittal-plane MRIs to assess CDD in 344 subjects recruited from participants in our community health-check project, and measured body mass index (BMI), skeletal muscle index (SMI), and muscle strength in the neck, trunk, hands, and legs. CDD was scored based on the prevalence and severity of intravertebral disc degeneration. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate whether the SMI or muscle-strength values were correlated with the disc degenerative score. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were then conducted with the CDD score as the dependent variable, and age, sex, BMI, and muscle strength as independent variables, for each gender. These analyses used the muscle-strength parameters that were found to be correlated with the CDD scores in the single correlation analyses. The CDD scores were similar in men and women. Men had significantly more muscle strength in the neck, trunk, hands, and legs. There was a significant negative corelation between the CDD score and the trunk strength in both sexes, handgrip in men, and leg strength in women in the single-variable correlation analysis. Including age and the limb- or trunk-muscle strength comprehensively, multiple linear regression analyses showed that age was the strongest factor that was independently associated with CDD in both sexes, and that the effects were attenuated by limb and trunk muscle strength.

Radiographic cervical spine degenerative findings: a study on a large population from age 18 to 97 years

“…Second, there was no ethnic record in the present study and images database was acquired from a single institute; as a matter of fact, the ethnic difference of the degenerative changes in the cervical spine should be taken into consideration to determine if our findings are globally generalizable [46,47]. Third, other factors which may affect cervical disc degeneration, such as smoking [51,52], muscle strength [53] or biochemical data [54], were not collected. Fourth, we did not investigate the associations between radiographic degenerative changes and other radiographic parameters in the cervical spine, such as the impact of posterior osteophytes on spinal canal diameter [55], or the associations between degenerative changes and cervical sagittal alignment [56].…”

Two Blautia Species Associated with Visceral Fat Accumulation: A One-Year Longitudinal Study

“…In 2005, the Iwaki Health Promotion Project was launched as an annual health check-up program. Subjects were adult men and women living in the Iwaki region of Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture, Japan [ 21 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. In 2015, VFA was measured for the first time and this study was designed as a population-based longitudinal study, using data obtained from May 2015 and May 2016.…”

Association between Nutrients and Visceral Fat in Healthy Japanese Adults: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study Brief Title: Micronutrients Associated with Visceral Fat Accumulation

“…The Iwaki Health Promotion Project was launched in 2005 as an annual health check-up for local residents, aiming to prolong a healthy lifespan. Participants were men and women of at least 20 years of age living in the Iwaki region of Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan [26,27,28,29]. Inclusion criterion was individuals who have health condition ability to participate in this health check-up for more than 5 h. VFA was first introduced as a health check-up parameter in 2015, and the present analyses were performed using data obtained from the health check-ups held from May 2015 to May 2017.…”