Spine
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Review Comparative Study
Spinal manipulation for low back pain. An updated systematic review of randomized clinical trials.
Systematic review of randomized clinical trials. ⋯ The efficacy of spinal manipulation for patients with acute or chronic low back pain has not been demonstrated with sound randomized clinical trials. There certainly are indications that manipulation might be effective in some subgroups of patients with low back pain. These impressions justify additional research efforts on this topic. Methodologic quality remains a critical aspect that should be dealt with in future studies.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
The Quebec Task Force classification for Spinal Disorders and the severity, treatment, and outcomes of sciatica and lumbar spinal stenosis.
A prospective cohort study of patients in Maine with sciatica and lumbar spinal stenosis treated surgically and nonsurgically. ⋯ For patients with sciatica, the Quebec Task Force classification was highly associated with the severity of symptoms and the probability of subsequent surgical treatment. Nonsurgically treated patients in Quebec Task Force classification categories reflecting nerve root compression had greater improvement than those with pain symptoms alone. Among surgical patients, the Quebec Task Force classification was not associated with outcome. These results provide validation for the classification and its wider adoption. Nonetheless, improved diagnostic classifications are needed to predict outcomes better in patients with sciatica who undergo surgery.
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Criteria-based review. ⋯ In acute back pain, exercise therapy is ineffective, whereas in subacute back pain, exercises with a graded activity program, and in chronic back pain, intensive exercising, deserve attention. More research on McKenzie therapy, on exercises with a graded activity program, and on different types of exercising in patients with chronic back pain is necessary.
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A brief review of current literature and issues on drug therapy for low back pain. ⋯ It seems reasonable to recommend acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for patients with acute back pain, with efforts to minimize costs and complications. Muscle relaxants and narcotic analgesics may be appropriate for some patients, but selection criteria are unclear, and these drugs should be prescribed for fixed periods. Drug treatment for chronic low back pain is less clear, and a current controversy centers on the use of chronic narcotic analgesics for such patients. Future research should include evaluating combinations of medications, combinations of medication and physical therapy, systemic corticosteroid therapy, trigger point injections, and narcotic use for patients with chronic pain. Spinal stenosis is common in the older population, and more drug trials are needed for this condition.
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This is the second of two papers that systematically review available scientific evidence on the causes of disability from occupational low back pain, and the effectiveness of interventions to prevent it after its onset (secondary prevention). This paper reviews the national history of how back pain and the risk factors for its extension into chronic disability, followed by a critical summary of intervention studies attempting to reduce the duration of this disability, and to evaluate the results.