Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1991 Nov;50(11):755–759. doi: 10.1136/ard.50.11.755

Paraspinal muscle fibrosis: a specific pathological component in ankylosing spondylitis.

R G Cooper 1, A J Freemont 1, R Fitzmaurice 1, S M Alani 1, M I Jayson 1
PMCID: PMC1004551  PMID: 1837705

Abstract

The histological appearance of percutaneous superficial paraspinal muscle biopsy specimens from eight patients with ankylosing spondylitis was compared with that of biopsy specimens from 13 control patients with similar degrees of disability and spinal immobility due to severe, chronic mechanical back pain. In both groups marked type II muscle fibre atrophy was shown. Additionally, in patients with ankylosing spondylitis there were obvious increases in perifibre connective tissue in association with central migration of cell nuclei but without evidence of inflammation. Qualitative electromyography failed to show denervation changes in either group. Paraspinal muscle fibrosis, occurring over and above atrophic changes due to disuse, seems to be a specific pathological component of ankylosing spondylitis which may be of particular importance in early disease as it may contribute towards back stiffness and weakness.

Full text

PDF
755

Images in this article

756Image
on p.756
757Image
on p.757

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alnaqeeb M. A., Al Zaid N. S., Goldspink G. Connective tissue changes and physical properties of developing and ageing skeletal muscle. J Anat. 1984 Dec;139(Pt 4):677–689. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berman L., Isaacs H., Pickering A. Structural abnormalities of muscle tissue in ankylosing spondylitis. S Afr Med J. 1976 Jul 24;50(32):1238–1240. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brewerton D. A., Gibson D. G., Goddard D. H., Jones T. J., Moore R. B., Pease C. T., Revell P. A., Shapiro L. M., Swettenham K. V. The myocardium in ankylosing spondylitis. A clinical, echocardiographic, and histopathological study. Lancet. 1987 May 2;1(8540):995–998. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)92268-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Calin A. Raised serum creatine phosphokinase activity in ankylosing spondylitis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1975 Jun;34(3):244–248. doi: 10.1136/ard.34.3.244. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carrabba M., Chevallard M., Colombo B., Dworzak F., Mora M., Cornelio F. Muscle pathology in ankylosing spondylitis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1984 Apr-Jun;2(2):139–144. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dietrichson P., Coakley J., Smith P. E., Griffiths R. D., Helliwell T. R., Edwards R. H. Conchotome and needle percutaneous biopsy of skeletal muscle. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1987 Nov;50(11):1461–1467. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.50.11.1461. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Duance V. C., Black C. M., Dubowitz V., Hughes G. R., Bailey A. J. Polymyositis--an immunofluorescence study on the distribution of collagen types. Muscle Nerve. 1980 Nov-Dec;3(6):487–490. doi: 10.1002/mus.880030605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Duance V. C., Stephens H. R., Dunn M., Bailey A. J., Dubowitz V. A role for collagen in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy? Nature. 1980 Apr 3;284(5755):470–472. doi: 10.1038/284470a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Johnson M. A., Polgar J., Weightman D., Appleton D. Data on the distribution of fibre types in thirty-six human muscles. An autopsy study. J Neurol Sci. 1973 Jan;18(1):111–129. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(73)90023-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Moll J. M., Wright V. Normal range of spinal mobility. An objective clinical study. Ann Rheum Dis. 1971 Jul;30(4):381–386. doi: 10.1136/ard.30.4.381. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pohl W., Sievers B. U. Veränderungen der Muskulatur bei Spondylitis ankylopoetica. Z Rheumatol. 1974 Jul-Aug;33(7-8):249–253. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Polgar J., Johnson M. A., Weightman D., Appleton D. Data on fibre size in thirty-six human muscles. An autopsy study. J Neurol Sci. 1973 Jul;19(3):307–318. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(73)90094-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Roux H., Serratrice G., Maestracci D., Gambarelli D., de Bisschop G., Cartouzou G., Mante S., Recordier A. M. Les atteintes musculaires au cours de la pelvispondylite rhumatismale. Rev Rhum Mal Osteoartic. 1975 Apr;42(4):231–238. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Stokes M., Young A. The contribution of reflex inhibition to arthrogenous muscle weakness. Clin Sci (Lond) 1984 Jul;67(1):7–14. doi: 10.1042/cs0670007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Tomanek R. J., Lund D. D. Degeneration of different types of skeletal muscle fibres. I. Denervation. J Anat. 1973 Dec;116(Pt 3):395–407. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Waddell G., Main C. J. Assessment of severity in low-back disorders. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 1984 Mar;9(2):204–208. doi: 10.1097/00007632-198403000-00012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Williams P. E., Goldspink G. Connective tissue changes in immobilised muscle. J Anat. 1984 Mar;138(Pt 2):343–350. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES