Articles: low-back-pain.
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Pain medicine is an advanced medical subspecialty incorporating trainees from diverse primary disciplines. A curriculum that does not assess or promote the trainees' differential expertise developed from their primary specialties may silo instead of promoting collaborative learning in a multidisciplinary subspecialty. ⋯ We created a novel note-taking and knowledge-sharing platform, anchored by a well-established case-based educational strategy, to improve the learning environment and knowledge retention for multidisciplinary trainees with heterogeneous baseline knowledge.
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Bertolotti syndrome (BS) is characterized by radiculopathy caused by structural anomalies. Despite the structural deformity, conservative treatment is predominantly recommended due to surgery-related complications. Because of the diagnosis complexity, the incidence and contributing factors of BS, remain controversial. We report the case of a patient with BS who was treated with integrative Korean medicine (IKM). Moreover, we evaluated the epidemiological characteristics of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) from medical records of patients diagnosed with LSTV at 4 different medical clinics of Korean medicine. ⋯ IKM demonstrates potential efficacy in BS management, with notable trends in LSTV-related symptomatology warranting further investigation.
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Researchers suggested that the interruptive effects of chronic pain on cognitive functions may be modulated by the level of pain catastrophizing (PC). However, in individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP), domains of cognitive function that may be affected by the level of PC remain largely unclear. Therefore, this study was aimed to compare cognitive functions between healthy controls and individuals with CLBP with high and low PC. ⋯ The results of the current study showed deficits in sustained attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control in individuals with CLBP with high PC. From a clinical perspective, therapeutic interventions targeting PC should be considered to decrease catastrophic thinking about pain in individuals with CLBP. Additional research is warranted to explore cognitive functioning as an outcome of these interventions in individuals with CLBP.
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Cost-effectiveness of two trial interventions for low back pain. ⋯ Risk-stratified care was not cost-effective for medium- and low-risk individuals compared to usual care. Further research is needed to assess whether there is value for high-risk individuals or for other risk-stratification approaches.