Journal of orthopaedic science : official journal of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association
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The number of patients suffering from degenerative diseases in the lumbar spine is increasing in Japan. Although various scales to measure disability or quality of life in patients with low back pain and/or lumbar diseases are currently available, it has been shown that one questionnaire is not always compatible with another. Our purpose is to evaluate the association and differences between the Japanese version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score for low back pain. ⋯ The clinical signs in patients with low back pain and/or lumbar diseases are not associated closely with the Japanese version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Therefore, a combination of the Japanese version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score can provide wide-ranging assessment of the level of impairment in patients with low back pain and/or lumbar diseases.
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Comparative Study
Biomechanical comparison of instrumentation techniques in treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures: a finite element analysis.
There are several surgical techniques currently employed to treat thoracolumbar burst fractures, including anterior fixation, posterior fixation, or combined anterior-posterior fixation. Biomechanical analysis of the various types of surgical techniques is therefore critical to enable selection of the appropriate surgical method for successful spinal fusion. However, the effects of the various spinal fusion techniques on spinal stiffness have not been clearly defined, and the strengths and weaknesses of each fusion technique are still controversial. ⋯ The present study shows that careful consideration is necessary when choosing the anterior rod number and applying posterior fixation and mid-column decompression during surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures.