Prevalence of low back pain in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundAdolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common spinal deformity occurring in adolescents and its established prevalence varies from 2 to 3%. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has been identified as a potential risk factor for the development of low back pain in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to systematically review studies of the prevalence of low back pain in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis in order to establish the quality of the evidence and determine whether the prevalence estimates could be statistically pooled.MethodsSystematic electronic searches were undertaken in PubMed, CINAHL, and CENTRAL without any restrictions. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported the prevalence of low back pain in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Studies were excluded if they detailed the prevalence of pain in post-surgical subjects or were published in languages other than English or French. Data were reported qualitatively, since there was insufficient evidence for statistical pooling.ResultsThe electronic search strategies yielded 1811 unique studies. Only two studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The prevalence of low back pain in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis ranged from 34.7 to 42.0%. However, these prevalence estimates should be viewed cautiously as the included studies were at high risk of bias.ConclusionThe results of this systematic review indicate that adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis frequently experience low back pain. However, there was insufficient evidence to confidently estimate low back pain prevalence in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and further studies are needed in this area.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12998-017-0143-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Translation, transcultural adaptation and validation of the Nordic questionnaire for the evaluation of low back pain in Brazilian adolescents

“…(18)(19)(20) . The questionnaire used as validation object in the present study offered a more robust classification of low back pain, since it questions about low back pain in different domains.…”

Tracking low back pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a prospective cohort study protocol

“…Prior low back pain studies in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis failed to specify the anatomic location of low back pain [ 9 ]. As such, it is not possible to determine whether the reported low back pain was experienced at the following standardised defined location: “pain in the space between the lower posterior margin of the rib cage and the horizontal gluteal fold”.…”

“…To better understand this issue, we recently conducted a systematic review [ 9 ] of prevalence studies of low back pain in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. We found that only two studies [ 10 , 11 ] had been undertaken in this area and that several methodological limitations constrained the findings of these studies.…”

Upregulation of cGMP‐dependent Protein Kinase (PRKG1) in the Development of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

“…A dolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common structural spinal deformity when the deformity exceeds 10 degrees 1 . It affects approximately 2% to 4% of adolescents between 10 and 18 years of age 1,2 . Scoliosis surgery has a high rate of complication making it high-risk and expensive, which can impose a heavy economic burden on families and society.…”