Association Between Self-Reported Spinal Morning Stiffness and Radiographic Evidence of Lumbar Disk Degeneration in Participants of the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK) Study

textabstractBACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is very common and is a main cause of limited activity and work absence. Patients with LBP may also report spinal morning stiffness; this symptom could be useful for identifying subgroups with signs and symptoms related to spinal osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether an association exists between reported spinal morning stiffness and radiographic evidence of lumbar disk degeneration (LDD) in people with LBP and a history of pain of the hip and/or knee. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study used 8-year follow-up data from the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee study. METHODS: The association between spinal morning stiffness and radiographic LDD features was assessed with multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: The presence of osteophytes was significantly associated w