Spine
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The authors examined a case series of patients younger than 16 years who had sustained a traumatic spine injury. ⋯ In children and adolescents, conservative treatment is an available option for stable fractures without neurologic lesion. Early surgical treatment (instrumentation and fusion) is mandatory for unstable fractures and injuries associated with spinal cord lesion. In children, a traumatic spinal cord lesion may develop a deformity that is mainly scoliotic, kyphotic, or lordotic in >90% of the cases.
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The current study was undertaken to determine if the presence of titanium wear particulate deleteriously influences early osseointegration of posterolateral bone graft or disrupts an established posterolateral fusion mass. ⋯ Titanium particulate debris introduced at the level of a spinal arthrodesis elicits a cytokine-mediated particulate-induced response favoring pro-inflammatory infiltrates, increased expression of intracellular tumor necrosis factor-alpha, increased osteoclastic activity, and cellular apoptosis. The presence of titanium particulate debris, secondary to motion between spinal implants, may serve as the impetus for late-onset inflammatory-infectious complications and long-term osteolysis of an established posterolateral fusion mass in the clinical setting.
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Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common and costly musculoskeletal problems in modern society. Proponents of massage therapy claim it can minimize pain and disability and speed return-to-normal function. ⋯ Massage might be beneficial for patients with subacute and chronic nonspecific LBP, especially when combined with exercises and education. The evidence suggests that acupuncture massage is more effective than classic massage, but this needs confirmation. More studies are needed to confirm these conclusions, to assess the effect of massage on return-to-work, and to measure longer term effects to determine cost-effectiveness of massage as an intervention for LBP.