Articles: low-back-pain.
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The aim of the present study was to develop a reliable assessment of pain behaviour performed during the execution of a range of functional assessment measures. For the initial reliability study 18 subjects (consecutive referrals) were assessed. Subjects were observed and videotaped during a variety of physical tasks and demonstrations of pain behaviour were recorded; the videotapes were scored by two independent observers on two occasions. ⋯ The total scores for pain behaviour correlate with tasks that involve the back; tests involving upper limbs were not affected. This test is suitable for the assessment of those with pain problems specifically involving the back. Furthermore, in the group studied pain and pain behaviour were the two most important determinants of self-reported disability.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effects of aerobic exercise on low back pain patients in treatment.
Aerobic exercise (AE) has been prescribed to improve fitness and well-being in apparently healthy individuals and cardiac, orthopedic, and other patient populations. AE has not previously been studied as a sole treatment for low back pain patients (LBPP). ⋯ Low to moderate aerobic exercise appears to improve mood states and work status and reduce the need for physical therapy referrals and pain medication prescriptions for LBPP in the care of a neurosurgeon.
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Back pain is the single most costly work-related injury. Chiropractors and physicians are the main primary care providers for occupational low back pain (OLBP), but there is no consensus regarding the relative cost-effectiveness of these two modes of care. ⋯ Existing studies fail to clarify whether medical or chiropractic care is more cost effective. We suggest that future studies must combine epidemiologic and economic methods to answer the question adequately.
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Comparative Study
Surfing for back pain patients: the nature and quality of back pain information on the Internet.
A prospective, systematic review of web sites related to back pain. ⋯ Most back pain-related web sites can be classified as advertising. The quality varied considerably, resulting in difficulties for patients to find useful information in this field. The increasing number of people seeking medical information on the Web creates a need for more high quality sites. Further, systematic review of web sites should be encouraged to monitor the accuracy of Internet publication.
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Comparative Study
Paired cylindrical interbody cage fit and facetectomy in posterior lumbar interbody fusion in an Asian population.
The intervertebral disc heights and interfacetal distances of normal lower lumbar segments were measured from MRI scans of 150 male subjects. ⋯ Paired cylindrical cage installation in the majority of patients is likely to require near-total or total facetectomy, with implications for potential segmental instability. Among the three lumbar segments studied, L5/S1 had the highest proportion of segments that could accommodate paired cages and at the same time restore intervertebral height.