As the population ages, the prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal conditions, such as low back pain (LBP), increases. Sarcopenia, defined an age related loss of skeletal muscle mass, is a prevalent condition in the older population contributes significantly to functional decline, disability, frailty, and falls. The coexistence of both conditions may negatively impact the functional decline of the older adults, which may require a specific therapeutic approach to deal with both conditions. However, the first step is to investigate the prevalence of probable sarcopenia among older adults with chronic LBP and whether older adults with both conditions are more clinically disabled than older adults with chronic LBP without probable sarcopenia.

The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of probable sarcopenia among older adults with chronic LBP seeking physical therapy care in a primary care setting and to investigate whether older adults with chronic LBP and probable sarcopenia present with higher pain and disability than those with chronic LBP and no probable sarcopenia.

This is a cross-sectional study design. We recruited older adults (age ≥60) living in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, reporting LBP for more than 3 months, seeking physical therapy care in a basic health unit (i.e. primary care setting) from the Brazilian National Healthcare System. Data collected included age, sex, pain intensity (0-10 scale), disability (i.e., Roland Morris disability questionnaire) and probable sarcopenia (i.e. algorithm from the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People – EWGSOP2). To compare pain and disability levels in older adults with chronic LBP with and without probable sarcopenia, we calculate the mean difference (MD) and its confidence interval (CI).

A total of 156 participants (73%women), mean age of 69.5 ± 6.2 years, mean pain intensity of 7.1 ± 2.3 points, and mean disability of 12.7 ± 5.5 points. The prevalence of probable sarcopenia was 31.40%. Patients with chronic LBP and probable sarcopenia reported higher mean pain intensity (MD=1.63; 95%CI: 0.89, 2.37) and disability (MD=5.38; 95%CI: 3.69, 7.07) than those with no probable sarcopenia.

Nearly a third of older adults with chronic LBP seeking physical therapy care were classified as having probable sarcopenia. These patients reported higher pain and disability than patients with chronic LBP with no probable sarcopenia.

In clinical practice, an approach to screening cases in older adults with chronic LBP and probable sarcopenia may help to identify more severe and disabling cases of low back pain. Future studies should investigate the prognostic value of sarcopenia in older adults with LBP. It may be possible that future therapeutic approaches should be developed and tested to treat older adults with both conditions.