Comparison of the Stiffness of the Lumbar Back Muscles Between Low Back Pain and Healthy Controls

Chronic low back pain remains a major public health issue. Low back pain is frequently associated with stiffness changes of the lumbar back muscles. The techniques which assess the stiffness of the back muscles are poorly reliable and do not allow the quantification of stiffness changes. Elastography (magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound) can be used to objectively and non-invasively quantify in vivo tissue elasticity. The aim of the investigator's study is to compare the stiffness in the main lumbar back muscles (i.e. the erector spinae and the multifidus) by using magnetic resonance elastography and shear wave elastography.