Spine
-
Systematic review. ⋯ Based on the current evidence, intermittent or continuous traction as a single treatment for LBP cannot be recommended for mixed groups of patients with LBP with and without sciatica. Neither can traction be recommended for patients with sciatica because of inconsistent results and methodological problems in most of the studies involved. However, because high-quality studies within the field are scarce, because many are underpowered, and because traction often is supplied in combination with other treatment modalities, the literature allows no firm negative conclusion that traction, in a generalized sense, is not an effective treatment for patients with LBP.
-
Prospective cohort study. ⋯ Poor overall physical function and depression symptomatology are associated with LBP and consequences of LBP in persons 70 years of age and older.
-
We present the case of a patient with a solitary neoplasm of the intramedullary spinal cord. ⋯ Despite being uncommon, spinal cord metastases should be considered in some patients before surgery because it may expedite diagnosis, mitigate the need for surgery, and improve the quality of life for these patients. Clinical factors suggesting metastasis include a personal or family history of malignancy or conditions predisposing to it, the presence of multiple tumors in the spinal cord or elsewhere, nonspecific constitutional symptoms, such as weight loss or decreased appetite, and, specifically for RCC, an abnormally increased hematocrit.
-
A prospective in vivo animal study. ⋯ HSV-mediated gene transfer provides a novel method for treating chronic neuropathic pain related to lumbar root injury in rodents.