Articles: back-pain.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Dynamics of pain: fractal dimension of temporal variability of spontaneous pain differentiates between pain States.
Spontaneous pain is a common complaint in chronic pain conditions. However, its properties have not been explored. Here we study temporal properties of spontaneous pain. ⋯ To this end, we apply time and frequency domain techniques to characterize variability of pain ratings with a single parameter: fractal dimension, D. We demonstrate that the majority of ratings of spontaneous pain by the patients have fractal properties, namely they show a power law relationship between variability and time-scale length; D is distinct between types of chronic pain, and from ratings of thermal stimulation or of imagined pain; and there is a correspondence between D for pain ratings and D for brain activity, in chronic back pain patients using fMRI. These results show that measures of variability of spontaneous pain differentiate between chronic pain conditions, and thus may have mechanistic and clinical utility.
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A consecutive series of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), treated between 1968 and 1977 before 21 years of age with either distraction and fusion using Harrington rods (ST, n = 156; 145 females and 11 males) or with brace (BT, n = 127; 122 females and 5 males), were followed at least 20 years after completion of the treatment. ⋯ For both brace treated and surgically treated AIS patients, spinal mobility and muscle endurance were reduced more than 20 years after completed treatment. The physical function was not severely restricted.
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Review Meta Analysis
School-based interventions for spinal pain: a systematic review.
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Comparative Study
A population-based analysis of healthcare utilization of persons with back disorders: results from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2000-2001.
A retrospective, population-based analysis. ⋯ With increasing disability as indicated by the presence of pain and functional limitations, and the presence of depressive symptoms, the higher the utilization of physician and nonphysician resources, with the exception of chiropractic care, which appears to be used by those with less severe symptoms. Lower socioeconomic status was associated with significantly lower receipt of services for almost all healthcare providers.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Increased taste intensity perception exhibited by patients with chronic back pain.
There is overlap between brain regions involved in taste and pain perception, and cortical injuries may lead to increases as well as decreases in sensitivity to taste. Recently it was shown that chronic back pain (CBP) is associated with a specific pattern of brain atrophy. Since CBP is characterized by increased sensitivity to pain, we reasoned that the sense of taste might also be enhanced in CBP. ⋯ There was no difference between CBP and control subjects for visual grayness rating. On the other hand, CBP patients in comparison to control subjects rated gustatory stimuli as significantly more intense but no more or less pleasant and showed a trend towards a lower detection threshold (i.e. increased sensitivity). The selectivity of the taste disturbance suggests interaction between pain and taste at specific brain sites and provides further evidence that CBP involves specific brain abnormalities.