MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PSOAS MAJOR AND QUADRATUS LUMBORUM MUSCLES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SACRALIZATION

In this study, the morphological characteristics of the Psoas Major (PMa) and QuadratusLumborum (QL) muscles in individuals with sacralization were examined, and the musclecross-sectional areas of individuals with sacralization in the lumbosacral transitional vertebra(LSTV) were compared with a control group.Our study was conducted through a retrospective analysis of Computed Tomography (CT)images of individuals aged 18-65. A total of 54 individuals with sacralization and 54individuals without sacralization were included in the study. The images of individuals withsacralization were grouped according to the Castellvi classification. The cross-sectional areasof the PMa and QL muscles at the L4 level were calculated using ImageJ software. Dataanalysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 software.It was found that the left PMa and QL muscle cross-sectional areas in the sacralization groupwere significantly larger than those of the control group (p<0.05). Regarding gender, maleparticipants had larger muscle cross-sectional areas compared to females (p<0.05). Nosignificant relationship was found between Body Mass Index (BMI) and muscle crosssectional areas, but a weak negative correlation was found between age and the right(p=0.013, r=-0.237) and left (p=0.007, r=-0.257) PMa cross-sectional areas.The finding that the left PMa, right QL, and left QL muscle cross-sectional areas inindividuals with sacralization are larger than those in the control group suggests thatsacralization may affect muscle morphology. In this context, we conclude that themorphological changes caused by sacralization may influence functional differences in thelumbar and pelvic regions, and that physiotherapists should take these factors intoconsideration when evaluating individuals with sacralization.Keywords: Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebra, Sacralization, Muscle Morphology, PsoasMajor, Quadratus Lumborum