The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy
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J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · Jun 2019
Case ReportsSelective Fatty Replacement of Paraspinal Muscles in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy.
A 65-year-old man with a history of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy presented to his physician with a complaint of new-onset low back pain, bilateral foot numbness, and left lower extremity radicular symptoms with foot drop. He subsequently underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine, which revealed complete fatty replacement of the erector spinae musculature throughout the lumbar spine. ⋯ The patient's lower extremity symptoms were consistent with left L5-S1 radiculopathy, and the magnetic resonance images indicated mild to moderate central canal stenosis at L2-L3 with severe bilateral L5-S1 foraminal narrowing. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(6):483. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.8815.
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J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · Jun 2019
Case ReportsEpidural and Paraspinal Abscess Presenting as Acute Low Back Pain.
A 56-year-old man sought care from a primary care physician (PCP) 5 days after lifting a heavy box produced acute, isolated lumbar pain. The PCP diagnosed a lumbar disc herniation and referred the patient to physical therapy without diagnostic imaging. ⋯ Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a spinal epidural abscess with an associated multiloculated abscess within the adjacent left paraspinal muscles. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(6):482. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.8456.
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Low back pain (LBP) is an important medical and socioeconomic problem. Impaired sensorimotor control has been suggested to be a likely mechanism underlying development and/or maintenance of pain. Although early work focused on the structural and functional abnormalities within the musculoskeletal system, in the past 20 years there has been an increasing realization that patients with LBP might also have extensive neuroplastic changes within the central nervous system. ⋯ An integrated clinical approach that combines contemporary pain neuroscience education, cognition-targeted sensorimotor control, and physical or function-based treatments may lead to better outcomes in patients with recurrent and persistent LBP. This approach will need to consider variation among individuals, as no single finding/mechanism is present in all individuals, and no single treatment that targets neuroplastic changes in the sensorimotor system is likely to be effective for all patients with LBP. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(6):402-414. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.8489.
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J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · Jun 2019
Changes in Structure and Function of the Back Muscles in Low Back Pain: Different Time Points, Observations, and Mechanisms.
Spinal health depends on optimal back muscle performance, and this is determined by muscle structure and function. There has been substantial research evaluating the differences in structure and function of many back muscles, including the multifidus and erector spinae, but with considerable variation in results. Many studies have shown atrophy, fat infiltration, and connective tissue accumulation in back muscles, particularly deep fibers of the multifidus, but the results are not uniform. ⋯ This has substantial impact on the rationale for rehabilitation approaches. The aim of this commentary was to review and consolidate the breadth of research investigating adaptation in back muscle structure and function, to consider explanations for some of the variation between studies, and to propose how this model can be used to guide rehabilitation in a manner that is tailored to individual patients and to underlying mechanisms. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(6):464-476. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.8827.