{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T09:49:03Z","timestamp":1789984143368,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]],"date-time":"2025-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749081600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]],"date-time":"2025-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749081600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sci Rep"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:p>Lumbar facet arthropathy (LFA) is a degenerative condition of the facet joints that contributes significantly to chronic low back pain (CLBP) yet remains underrecognized in standard diagnostic protocols. While aging and disc degeneration are established factors in the progression of LFA, the potential role of spinal deformities such as scoliosis has not been thoroughly investigated. This cross-sectional study examined the association between scoliosis severity and LFA in a non-surgical population of 284 Ecuadorian adults aged 30 to 80 years. Participants were classified by Cobb angle into normal, mild, moderate, and severe scoliosis categories and underwent MRI to assess facet joint degeneration at the L3\u2013L4, L4\u2013L5, and L5\u2013S1 levels. Findings revealed that moderate scoliosis significantly increased the odds of severe LFA across all lumbar levels, particularly at L3\u2013L4 (OR = 6.72) and L5\u2013S1 (OR = 5.57). Mild scoliosis also posed a notable risk, with a threefold increase at L4\u2013L5 and a twofold increase at L5\u2013S1. Additionally, degeneration was more severe on the concave side of the scoliotic curve. Older age and female sex were also independently associated with more advanced degeneration. These results suggest that scoliosis, even in its mild forms, plays a significant role in the development and progression of LFA. The findings highlight the importance of including facet joint evaluation in routine scoliosis assessment and CLBP workups, particularly using MRI. Early identification of individuals at risk could inform preventive strategies and reduce long-term disability related to degenerative spinal disease.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-025-04994-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]],"date-time":"2025-06-05T09:31:55Z","timestamp":1749115915000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["MRI reveals scoliosis as a silent driver of lumbar facet joint degeneration in aging Ecuadorian adults"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Pablo","family":"Cueva-Medina","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jorge","family":"Silva-Hidalgo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fabricio","family":"Gonz\u00e1lez-Andrade","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]]},"reference":[{"issue":"12","key":"4994_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2112","DOI":"10.1016\/j.spinee.2021.05.024","volume":"21","author":"S Ke","year":"2021","unstructured":"Ke, S. et al. The Biomechanical influence of facet joint parameters on the corresponding segment in the lumbar spine: A new visualization method. Spine J. 21(12), 2112\u20132121. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.spinee.2021.05.024 (2021).","journal-title":"Spine J."},{"key":"4994_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"2.\tKim HJ, Chun HJ, Lee HM, et al. The biomechanical influence of the facet joint orientation and the facet tropism in the lumbar Spine. Spine J. 13(10), 1301\u20131308. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.spinee.2013.06.025 (2013). [published correction appears in Spine J. 14(3): A8 (2014)].","DOI":"10.1016\/j.spinee.2013.06.025"},{"issue":"2","key":"4994_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mric.2025.01.010","volume":"33","author":"E Vilarello","year":"2025","unstructured":"Vilarello, E., Sharma, A. & Rivas-Rodriguez, F. Updates in degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. Magn. Reson. Imaging Clin. 33(2), 203\u2013216. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.mric.2025.01.010 (2025).","journal-title":"Magn. Reson. Imaging Clin. N Am."},{"issue":"6","key":"4994_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"557","DOI":"10.1097\/00007632-198409000-00005","volume":"9","author":"KH Yang","year":"1984","unstructured":"Yang, K. H. & King, A. I. Mechanism of facet load transmission as a hypothesis for low-back pain. Spine 9(6), 557\u2013565. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/00007632-198409000-00005 (1984).","journal-title":"Spine (Phila Pa. 1976)"},{"key":"4994_CR5","unstructured":"Felson, D. et al. Harrison: Principios de Medicina Interna (2019)."},{"key":"4994_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Fujiwara, A. et al. The relationship between facet joint osteoarthritis and disc degeneration of the lumbar spine an MRI study. Eur. Spine J. 8(5), 396\u2013401. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s005860050193 (1999).","DOI":"10.1007\/s005860050193"},{"key":"4994_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gellhorn, A. C., Katz, J. N. & Suri, P. Osteoarthritis of the spine: The facet joints. Nat. Rev. Rheumatol. 9(4), 216\u2013224 (2013).","DOI":"10.1038\/nrrheum.2012.199"},{"key":"4994_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Perolat, R. et al. Facet joint syndrome: From diagnosis to interventional management. Insights Imaging 9(5), 773\u2013789 (2018).","DOI":"10.1007\/s13244-018-0638-x"},{"key":"4994_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Cohen, S. P. & Srinivasa, N. R. Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of lumbar zygapophysial (facet) joint pain. Anesthesiology 106,591\u2013614. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/00000542-200703000-00024 (2007).","DOI":"10.1097\/00000542-200703000-00024"},{"issue":"1","key":"4994_CR10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1148\/radiology.164.1.3588910","volume":"164","author":"MM Pathria","year":"1987","unstructured":"Pathria, M. M., Sartoris, D. J. & Resnick, M. Osteoarthritis of the facet foints: Accuracy of oblique radiographic assessment. Radiology 164(1), 227\u2013230 (1987).","journal-title":"Radiology"},{"key":"4994_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Stieber, J. M., Quirino, M. M., Cunningham, M. M., Errico, T. J. & Bendo, M. A, M. The reliability of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging grading of lumbar facet arthropathy in total disc replacement patients. Spine  34(23), E833\u2013E840 (2009).","DOI":"10.1097\/BRS.0b013e3181bda50a"},{"key":"4994_CR12","first-page":"261","volume":"5","author":"JR Cobb","year":"1948","unstructured":"Cobb, J. R. Esquema Para El estudio de La escoliosis. Am. Acad. Orthop. Surg. Instr. Curso Lect. 5, 261\u2013275 (1948).","journal-title":"Am. Acad. Orthop. Surg. Instr Curso Lect"},{"issue":"11","key":"4994_CR13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2360","DOI":"10.1007\/s00586-013-2693-9","volume":"22","author":"S Langensiepen","year":"2013","unstructured":"Langensiepen, S. et al. Procedimientos de medici\u00f3n Para determinar El \u00c1ngulo de Cobb En La escoliosis idiop\u00e1tica: Una revisi\u00f3n Sistem\u00e1tica. Eur. Spine J. 22(11), 2360\u20132371. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00586-013-2693-9 (2013).","journal-title":"Eur. Spine J."},{"issue":"6","key":"4994_CR14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e930","DOI":"10.3928\/01477447-20170606-02","volume":"40","author":"E Wong","year":"2017","unstructured":"Wong, E., Altaf, F., Oh, L. J. & Gray, R. J. Adult degenerative lumbar scoliosis. Orthopedics 40(6), e930\u2013e939. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3928\/01477447-20170606-02 (2017).","journal-title":"Orthopedics"},{"issue":"14","key":"4994_CR15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1670","DOI":"10.1097\/01.brs.0000170293.81234.f0","volume":"30","author":"F Schwab","year":"2005","unstructured":"Schwab, F., el-Fegoun, A. B., Gamez, L., Goodman, H. & Farcy, J. P. A lumbar classification of scoliosis in the adult patient: Preliminary approach. Spine  30(14), 1670\u20131673. (2005).","journal-title":"Spine (Phila Pa. 1976)"},{"issue":"10","key":"4994_CR16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"925","DOI":"10.1007\/s00586-005-1053-9","volume":"14","author":"M Aebi","year":"2005","unstructured":"Aebi, M. The adult scoliosis. Eur. Spine J. 14(10), 925\u2013948. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00586-005-1053-9 (2005).","journal-title":"Eur. Spine J."},{"issue":"3","key":"4994_CR17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"268","DOI":"10.1097\/00007632-198105000-00009","volume":"6","author":"JP Kostuik","year":"1981","unstructured":"Kostuik, J. P. & Bentivoglio, J. The incidence of low-back pain in adult scoliosis. Spine 6(3), 268\u2013273. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/00007632-198105000-00009 (1981).","journal-title":"Spine (Phila Pa. 1976)"},{"issue":"4","key":"4994_CR18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.1007\/s002560050503","volume":"28","author":"D Weishaupt","year":"1999","unstructured":"Weishaupt, D., Zanetti, M., Boos, N. & Hodler, J. MR imaging and CT in osteoarthritis of the lumbar facet joints. Skelet. Radiol. 28(4), 215\u2013219. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s002560050503 (1999).","journal-title":"Skeletal Radiol."}],"container-title":["Scientific Reports"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-025-04994-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-025-04994-2","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-025-04994-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]],"date-time":"2025-06-05T09:31:57Z","timestamp":1749115917000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-025-04994-2"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]]},"references-count":18,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]}},"alternative-id":["4994"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-025-04994-2","relation":{},"ISSN":["2045-2322"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2045-2322","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]]},"assertion":[{"value":"5 March 2025","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"30 May 2025","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"5 June 2025","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}},{"value":"The study adhered to ethical guidelines and received approval from the Research Ethics Committee of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (CEISH-USFQ, Approval No. IE02-E223-2021-CEISH-USFQ).","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval"}}],"article-number":"19767"}}