Abdominal Adiposity Increases Lordosis and Doubles the Risk of Low Back Pain

Vertebral disorders have significant health and economic impacts, and due to aging and current lifestyle habits, there is a trend toward their increase. Obesity and the alignment of vertebral curvatures can be associated with back pain. Objective: This study aims to analyze whether general and abdominal obesity are associated with cervical, dorsal, and lumbar vertebral pain as well as increased or decreased values of cervical, dorsal, and lumbar vertebral curvatures. Methodology: Body composition, degree of vertebral curvature, and the perception of cervical, dorsal, and lumbar pain were evaluated in a study population of 301 people (>18 years old). Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the influence of several variables of body composition on vertebral angles and cervical, dorsal, and lumbar pain. Results: Lumbar pain was the most prevalent (66.1%), mainly affecting women (70.9%). They were also shown to have greater lumbar angles (p < 0.001). The degrees of lumbar curvature increased, as did the BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio. Cervical and dorsal curvatures were increased by all the variables of adiposity and abdominal adiposity. It was found that people with abdominal obesity carried twice the risk of lower back pain than those without abdominal obesity (OR = 2.172, p < 0.05). In addition, an increased lumbar angle was related to an increased risk of low back pain (OR = 1.031, p < 0.05). Cervical pain, on the other hand, was associated with the waist-height index (OR = 0.948, p