The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized clinical trial assessing whether additional massage treatments for chronic neck pain improve 12- and 26-week outcomes.
This is the first study to systematically evaluate the value of a longer treatment period for massage. We provide a framework of how to conceptualize an optimal dose in this challenging setting of nonpharmacologic treatments. ⋯ "Booster" doses for those initially receiving 60 minutes of massage should be incorporated into future trials of massage for chronic neck pain.
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There has been no study regarding the cauda equina circulation of patients with neurogenic intermittent claudication (NIC) in lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). ⋯ These clinical data indicate that cauda equina nerve roots in the LSCS patients are pathologic even when symptoms are not elicited in the supine position, suggesting that intraradicular venous congestion and edema themselves do not influence the existence of radicular symptoms.
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Bulging of ligamentum flavum can happen with the aging process and can lead to compression of the spinal cord and nerves. However, the distribution and the risk factors associated with a missed ligamentum flavum bulge (LFB) are unknown. ⋯ Occurrence and depth of missed LFB was the highest at C4-C5 and C5-C6 compared with other cervical levels. Disc degeneration, disc herniation, angular variation, and translational motion could play a role in the development of LFB at C4-C5 andC5-C6.
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It is unknown whether direct repair (DR) of pars defect after lumbar discectomy (LD) for patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and spondylolysis leads to better outcomes than LD alone. ⋯ At the 1-year follow-up, DR after LD was associated with better outcomes for LDH with spondylolysis than LD alone.