Spine
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Comparative Study
What is different about workers' compensation patients? Socioeconomic predictors of baseline disability status among patients with lumbar radiculopathy.
Combined analysis of 2 prospective clinical studies. ⋯ Clinical trials involving conditions commonly seen in patients with workers' compensation may need special efforts to ensure adequate representation. Socioeconomic characteristics markedly differed between patients receiving and not receiving workers' compensation. Identifying the independent effects of workers' compensation on outcomes will require controlling for these baseline characteristics and other clinical features associated with disability status.
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Comparative Study
Back pain in the German adult population: prevalence, severity, and sociodemographic correlates in a multiregional survey.
A population-based cross-sectional multiregion postal survey. ⋯ Back pain is a highly prevalent condition in Germany. Disabling back pain in this country may be regarded as part of a social disadvantage syndrome. Educational level should receive greater attention in future cross-regional comparisons of back pain.
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Comparative Study
Different effects of static versus cyclic compressive loading on rat intervertebral disc height and water loss in vitro.
In vitro biomechanical study on rat caudal motion segments to evaluate association between compressive loading and water content under static and cyclic conditions. ⋯ Peak magnitude of cyclic compression and not RMS value was most important in determining height change and water loss, likely due to differences between disc creep and recovery rates. Water redistribution from nucleus to anulus occurred under loading consistent with an initial elastic compression (and associated disc bulge) followed by a reduction in disc volume over time.
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An in vivo study to measure rat spinal cord blood flow in real-time at the site of compression using a newly developed device. ⋯ Duration of ischemia/compression and blood flow recovery of the spinal cord are important factors in the recovery of motor function after a spinal cord injury.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Construct validity of the physical function scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire for the measurement of walking capacity.
Measurement (validity) study using data from a prospective longitudinal study of lumbar spinal stenosis. ⋯ Results support construct validity of the Physical Function Scale for the measurement of walking in an lumbar spinal stenosis population. However, it cannot be ascertained from the current study that the construct being measured is, indeed, walking capacity. Further research is warranted to investigate criterion validity evidence for the use of the Physical Function Scale in the measurement of walking capacity in lumbar spinal stenosis, by examining the relationships between self-report and observational measures of walking.