Morphology of paraspinal muscles in frail and non-frail older adults evaluated through FRAIL scale

Abstract

Background Frailty is a condition characterized by the progressive deterioration of physiological functioning, which is closely related to adverse events. Multiple previous investigations applied frailty scales for spine research, and the purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in the morphology of the paraspinal muscles in frail and non-frail older adults evaluated through FRAIL scale. Methods The sample of this retrospectively cross-sectional study consisted of individuals who were ≥ 60 years of age and with lumbar degenerative disease. We divided patients into two groups (0–2 = non-Frail, 3–5 = Frail) according to the FRAIL scale. The cross-sectional area (CSA) and percentage of the fatty infiltration (FI%) of the paraspinal muscles were compared between the two groups. Results The fCSA (functional cross-sectional area) of the non-Frail group (32.78 [28.52, 38.28]) (cm2) was significantly greater than that of the Frail group (28.50 [24.11, 34.77]) (p < 0.001). The ES FI% (erector spinae fatty infiltration rate) (24.83 ± 6.61 vs. 29.60 ± 7.92, p < 0.001) and MF FI% (multifidus fatty infiltration rate) (31.68 ± 5.63 vs. 41.12 ± 7.04, p < 0.001) of the non-Frail group were significantly lower than that of Frail group. Conclusions The paraspinal muscles of elderly Frail patients screened by the FRAIL scale are worse than those of the non-Frail patients, and the ability of the FRAIL scale to distinguish paraspinal muscle morphology has important clinical significance.

Frequency of Frailty in Old Age Sedentary Population with Disturbed Neurological Status

“…Pedro Otones Reyes et al ( 2020) conducted a cross-sectional study on the prevalence and correlates of frailty in community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain, revealing that pain intensity was higher in frail subjects than in pre-frail or robust participants, with frailty being more frequent in women and older subjects (13). Rufeng Huang and Fumin Pan (2023) investigated the differences in the morphology of the paraspinal muscles in frail and non-frail older adults using the FRAIL scale, finding that the paraspinal muscles of frail patients were worse than those of non-frail patients, highlighting the clinical significance of the FRAIL scale in distinguishing paraspinal muscle morphology (14). Haihui Ruan et al (2022) examined the association of frailty in women with menopause, finding that age at menopause was inversely correlated with the frailty index, with women who underwent early or premature menopause having a higher frailty index and being more commonly classified as frail compared to naturally menopausal women aged 46-54 years.…”