THE INCIDENCE AND RELATION OF LUMBAR TRANSITIONAL VERTEBRAE TO LOW BACK PAIN

Transitional vertebrae (TV) which is a problem in occupational health and in forensic medicine, including sacralization (SAC) and lumbarization (LUM), occurs in about 3-20% of general population. The low back pain is great problemes in the world. Although the impact of these variation in causing low back pain (LBP), discal herniation (DH) and its relation to gender has been extensively studied, but the results are controversial. The aim of this study were to examine those causal relationship and to determine the incidence of T.V in:1)250 patients with LBP were divided into two subgroups based on with discogenic {DC(n=68)} and non-discogenic {non DC(n=182)}, and 2) 250 normal subjects as control group. The age of the subjects ranged from 20 to 60 years old (mean=40). Each group was evaluated clinically and radiographically. The prevalence of TV was as follows: in control group8.8% (10 cases of SAC and 12 case of LUM);in LBP group 6.4%(7cases of SAC and 9 cases of LUM);in all subjects 7.6%,(16 cases of SAC and 22 cases of LUM); in male group 8.9% (11 cases SAC and 13 cases LUM); in female group 6% (6 cases SAC and 8 cases of LUM); in LBP patients with DC 2.8% (4 cases of SAC and 3 cases of LUM) and in LBP patients non DC 3.6% (3 cases of SAC and 6 cases of LUB). There was no significant relationship between TV (SAC and LUM) and LBP, sex and DH. low back pain should be ascribed to congenital abnormalities only after all other causes of back pain have been ruled out as possibilities, so TV doesn’t play a role in inducing LBP and DH.