Spine
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Little is known about physiotherapists' pain beliefs and whether they influence behavior within therapeutic encounters with patients. This qualitative study explored physiotherapists' pain beliefs with the purpose of highlighting the nature of their beliefs and the role they played within their management of chronic low back pain. ⋯ The findings suggest that in order to maximize the rehabilitation potential of patients with chronic low back pain, physiotherapists need to be aware that their pain beliefs may influence their management of these patients.
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Comparative Study
Young investigator award winner: validation of the mouse and rat disc as mechanical models of the human lumbar disc.
Measure the mechanical properties of the mouse and rat disc in compression and torsion. ⋯ The average compression stiffness, normalized by geometry, was 2-4 MPa and compared well with human motion segment stiffness in compression (3-9 MPa). The average torsion stiffness, normalized by disc geometry, was 5-11 MPa and compared well with human motion segment stiffness in torsion (2-9 MPa). Differences between the lumbar and caudal levels were observed. For the caudal tail, no correlation between body weight and any compression property was observed, but for the lumbar spine, some correlations were observed. CONCLUSIONS.: This study provides validation for the mouse and rat disc as a mechanical model of the human disc. Correlations between lumbar spine properties and animal body weight provide support for the use of quadruped animal lumbar spines as mechanical models of the bipedal human spine. The differences between lumbar and tail mechanics need further exploration. These findings are important in light of the extensive use of the rodent in disc studies and the expected future utility of genetically engineered mice.