PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation
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Clinical Trial
Effectiveness of levetiracetam in the treatment of lumbar radiculopathy: an open-label prospective cohort study.
The purpose of this open-label study was to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of levetiracetam (LEV) in the treatment of patients with lower lumbar radiculopathy diagnosed by clinical presentation, physical examination, and electrodiagnostics. ⋯ This study showed that LEV might be a well-tolerated and effective treatment for lumbar radiculopathy. A large randomized placebo-controlled trial is recommended and comparative studies with alternative agents should be sought.
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Multicenter Study
Exploring systems-based practice in a sample of physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs.
This study explores physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residents' attitudes, knowledge, and perception of health care policy in the context of systems-based practice, one of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's core competencies for residency training. ⋯ Systems-based practice is a core requirement of residency training yet has not been extensively studied. This study suggests that residents find systems-based issues important to their overall education but are not sufficiently or effectively addressed in residency. The healthcare delivery environment including PM&R is rapidly changing. It is imperative that residents are equipped with the knowledge of and ability to adapt to these changes.
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The authors sought to define the relationship between gender and postconcussion symptoms (PCSx) at 3 months after sport-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and, further, to examine whether age (minors vs. adults), source of PCSx reporting (self-reported vs. proxy), previous head injury or loss of consciousness, or the sport type in which the mTBI was incurred explain any observed gender differences in PCSx. ⋯ Adult females, but not female minors, are at increased risk for PCSx after sport-related mTBI as compared with male patients. This increased risk cannot be explained by self-report, rather than proxy report, of symptoms, previous head injury or loss of consciousness, age, or sport characteristics. Further research is needed to elucidate the processes of age-differential recovery from mild brain injury in women and on how to most effectively incorporate appropriate follow-up after emergency department evaluation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Functional movement training for recurrent low back pain: lessons from a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Despite considerable effort to reduce low back pain (LBP), approximately 60% of patients have recurrence after their first episode. The high rate of recurrence suggests that more effective intervention approaches are needed. This randomized, controlled feasibility trial was designed to compare disability, physical functional capacity, and pain outcomes at 2, 6, and 12 months for 2 conventional and 1 novel physical therapy (functional movement training) intervention for recurrent LBP. ⋯ A large-scale randomized, controlled trial is warranted to determine whether an intervention based on functional movement training is superior to conventional, impairment-based intervention for individuals with recurrent LBP.