Articles: back-pain.
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In this article, non-neurologic causes of neck and back pain are reviewed. Musculoskeletal pain generators include muscle, tendon, ligament, intervertebral disc, articular cartilage, and bone. ⋯ Atlantoaxial instability and atlanto-occipital joint pain are additional causes of neck pain. Back pain resulting from vertebral compression fracture, Scheuermann's disease, spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, pregnancy, Baastrup's disease, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and sacral stress fracture is discussed.
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Review Case Reports
Massage therapy: a comfort intervention for cardiac surgery patients.
Integrative therapies have gained support in the literature as a method to control pain and anxiety. Many institutions have integrated massage therapy into their programs. Few studies have looked at the specific benefits of massage therapy for cardiac surgical patients. ⋯ This article will provide an overview of the benefits of massage in the reduction of pain, anxiety, and tension in cardiac surgical patients. Reports of benefits seen with integration of massage in 1 cardiac surgical unit as part of evidence-based practice initiative for management of pain will be described. A clinical case example of a patient who has experienced cardiac surgery and received massage therapy will be shared.
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Many factors have been linked to return to work after a back pain episode, but our understanding of this phenomenon is limited and cross-sectional dichotomous indices of return to work are not valid measures of this construct. To describe the course of "return to work in good health" (RWGH--a composite index of back pain outcome) among workers who consulted in primary care settings for back pain and identify its determinants, a 2-year prospective study was conducted. Subjects (n = 1,007, 68.4%) were workers who consulted in primary care settings of the Quebec City area for a nonspecific back pain. ⋯ In men, decreasing age, cigarette smoking, poor self-reported health status, pain in the thoracic area, previous back surgeries, a non-compensated injury, high pain levels, belief that job is below qualifications, likelihood of losing job, job status, satisfaction with health services and fear-avoidance beliefs towards work were all significant. RWGH among workers with back pain receives multiple influences, especially among men. In both genders, however, fear-avoidance beliefs about work are associated with failure and high self-efficacy is associated with success.
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Back pain is one of the most prevalent conditions in the general population, including children and adolescents. Although an underlying pathology may be attributed to back pain in young children, the adolescent athlete represents a different population. Back pain in adolescents may result from acute (macrotrauma) or overuse (microtrauma) injuries. ⋯ Therefore, it is important that the physician maintain a high index of clinical suspicion when evaluating the pediatric patient, particularly the athlete who presents with back pain. This evaluation should include a thorough history and physical examination, plain radiographs, and, if necessary, bone scans or more advanced imaging techniques. Many conditions may be treated conservatively with bracing, rest, and analgesics, whereas others may require more aggressive therapy such as surgical intervention.