Abstract
This study aimed to identify the correlation between lifestyle risk factors, including obesity, physical inactivity and poor dietary habits, and the lumbar spine MRI findings of patients complaining of low back pain. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at King Fahad Specialist Hospital Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on a sample of 61 patients complaining of low back pain. Descriptive analysis and chi-squared tests were used to describe the study participants' demographic data, as well as to compare lifestyle risk factors and the main study outcomes (MRI findings, level and the number of affected vertebrae). The study found that females were affected by lumbar disc degeneration more frequently than males. The 30-39 age group showed a greater number of abnormal findings compared to the other groups. L4-L5 was the most common disc involved in disc degeneration. However, the study reported no significant association between lumbar disc degeneration and any lifestyle risk factors among participants with low back pain. Although no significant association was found at this one study site, the study outlines potential factors that may influence lumbar disc degeneration.