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Figure 4 | Osteopathic Medicine and Primary Care

Figure 4

From: Muscle functional magnetic resonance imaging and acute low back pain: a pilot study to characterize lumbar muscle activity asymmetries and examine the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment

Figure 4

Comparison of T2 asymmetry between subjects with acute low back pain (LBP; black bars) and asymptomatic controls (grey bars). T2 asymmetry was calculated as the absolute value of the percent difference in MRI-derived T2 between the left and right side muscles. The quadratus lumborum displayed a significantly greater T2 asymmetry in LBP subjects when compared to controls (*p = 0.05, eta2 = 0.23). Similarly, the psoas muscle exhibited a modest effect size for greater T2 asymmetry in LBP subjects when compared to controls (+ eta2 = 0.16), although this difference failed to reach significance (p = 0.11). The multifidus muscle also exhibited a modest effect size for between-group differences with the LBP subjects exhibiting a lesser degree of T2 asymmetry in relation to controls (+ eta2 = 0.17), although this difference failed to reach significance (p = 0.11).

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Osteopathic Medicine and Primary Care

ISSN: 1750-4732