Prevalence and distribution of ossification of the ligamenta flava in a 16th-18th century skeletal population sample from Poland

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the ossification of the ligamenta flava (OLF) among skeletal remains from Poland.

Materials and methods: 124 skeletons aged 25 years and older were analyzed. The presence and size of OLF were observed macroscopically. OLF was recorded at the cranial and caudal attachment sites of each vertebra. The following factors were analyzed: age at death, sex, and presence of other spondyloarthropathies.

Results: The crude prevalence of OLF in the analyzed series was 68.55 %. OLF was located most frequently in the lower thoracic spine. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the presence of OLF and age at death. OLF coincided with degenerative spondyloarthropathies of the thoracolumbar spine.

Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that OLF was not a rare condition in past populations of European ancestry. Analysis of OLF prevalence in skeletal materials can contribute to reconstruction of the conditions and lifestyles of past people.

Significance: This study shed new light on the prevalence of OLF and provides information on the variability of OLF in past European populations. The evaluation of the prevalence of OLF represents an important contribution to the field of paleopathology in understanding disease changes in prehistoric and historic human populations.

Limitations: The analyzed material came from unknown populations without demographic data. Sex and age at death were assessed using standard anthropological methods.

Suggestions for further research: It is important to understand the influence of sociocultural factors and physical activity patterns on the development of OLF.

Keywords: Schmorl's nodes; Spine pathology; Spondyloarthropathy.