Impact of spinal sagittal malalignment on locomotive syndrome and physical function in community-dwelling middle aged and older women

Abstract Background Adult spinal deformity has a substantially debilitating effect on older people’s physical and mental health. However, the impact of sagittal malalignment on locomotive syndrome (LS), sarcopenia, and physical function in community-dwelling older women has not yet been clarified. This study aimed to investigate the association between these factors in community-dwelling middle aged and older women. Methods A total of 361 women were recruited from participants performing aquatic exercises in a rural area of Japan. The body mass index, skeletal muscle mass index, trunk muscle mass, spinal inclination angle (SIA), grip strength, timed up-and-go test (TUG), maximum stride of the participants, and one-leg standing time were measured. Low back pain (LBP)- and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the Short-Form 8 questionnaire. Associations between the global sagittal alignment using SIA and investigating parameters were analyzed. Results The prevalence of sarcopenia was 3.6%. The prevalence of LS (stages 1, 2, and 3) was 43.8% (158 of 361), and the number of participants in each LS stage was 203 (stage 0), 95 (stage 1), 28 (stage 2), and 35 (stage 3). The SIA was significantly correlated with the 25-question geriatric locomotive function scale (r′ = 0.292, p