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

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]) (cm(2)) 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.