Faculty Collaboration Database

Relationship between muscle abnormalities and symptom duration in lumbosacral radiculopathies. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 1998;77(2):103-7

Date

04/29/1998

Pubmed ID

9558009

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0032030893 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   14 Citations

Abstract

A long held notion in the electrodiagnostic literature is that paraspinal muscles tend to show electromyographic abnormalities early on in a lumbosacral radiculopathy and that more distal muscles become abnormal later in the disease process. The purpose of this study was to determine whether paraspinal muscles and other major proximal and distal muscle abnormalities are related to lumbosacral radiculopathy symptom duration. A multivariate logit analysis of 139 patients (retrospectively identified) with electrodiagnostically confirmed lumbosacral radiculopathies was used to test these hypotheses. Maximum likelihood estimates showed no evidence of correlation between abnormal paraspinal muscles and symptom duration. Symptom duration was also insignificant for the remaining five lower limb muscles analyzed. We conclude that the probability of having electromyographic abnormalities is not related to symptom duration. A prospective study is needed to confirm these findings. Nonetheless, clinicians should use caution when interpreting electrodiagnostic findings based on symptom duration.

Author List

Dillingham TR, Pezzin LE, Lauder TD

Author

Liliana Pezzin PhD, JD Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Electromyography
Female
Humans
Likelihood Functions
Logistic Models
Lumbosacral Region
Male
Middle Aged
Muscle, Skeletal
Nerve Regeneration
Predictive Value of Tests
Radiculopathy
Reproducibility of Results
Retrospective Studies
Spine
Time Factors