Spine

AIM: The primary aim of the study is to determine if Hip Abduction and External Rotation (HABER) test is capable of reproducing familiar pain in individuals with low back pain (LBP) of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) origin (SIJ-positive) when compared with LBP of Non-SIJ origin (SIJ-negative). If so, the secondary aim is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of HABER test against the reference standard of pain provocation tests, and to determine which increments of the HABER test has highest sensitivity and specificity for identifying SIJ-positive individuals...

BACKGROUND: The contributions of the sacroiliac joint to low back and lower extremity pain have been a subject of considerable debate and research. It is generally accepted that 10% to 25% of patients with persistent mechanical low back pain below L5 have pain secondary to sacroiliac joint pathology. However, no single historical, physical exam, or radiological feature can definitively establish a diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain. Based on present knowledge, a proper diagnosis can only be made using controlled diagnostic blocks...

BACKGROUND: The sacroiliac joint is a widely described source of low back pain. Therapeutic approaches to relieve pain include the application of pelvic belts. However, the effects of pelvic belts on sacroiliac joint ligaments as potential pain generators are mostly unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to analyze the influence of pelvic belts on ligament load by means of a computer model. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental computer study using a finite element method...

BACKGROUND: Degenerative changes of the sacroiliac joint have been implicated as a cause of lower back pain in adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of sacroiliac joint degeneration in asymptomatic patients. METHODS: Five hundred consecutive pelvic computed tomography (CT) scans, made at a tertiary-care medical center, of patients with no history of pain in the lower back or pelvic girdle were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed for degenerative changes of the sacroiliac joint...

UNLABELLED: Rolling is a movement pattern seldom used by physical therapists for assessment and intervention with adult clientele with normal neurologic function. Rolling, as an adult motor skill, combines the use of the upper extremities, core, and lower extremities in a coordinated manner to move from one posture to another. Rolling is accomplished from prone to supine and supine to prone, although the method by which it is performed varies among adults. Assessment of rolling for both the ability to complete the task and bilateral symmetry may be beneficial for use with athletes who perform rotationally-biased sports such as golf, throwing, tennis, and twisting sports such as dance, gymnastics, and figure skating...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. OBJECTIVE: To define the geographic variation in costs of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and posterolateral fusion (PLF). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: ACDF and lumbar PLF are common procedures that are used in the treatment of spinal pathologies. To optimize value, both the benefits and costs of an intervention must be quantified. Data on costs are scarce in comparison with data on total charges...

BACKGROUND: Back-related leg pain (BRLP) is often disabling and costly, and there is a paucity of research to guide its management. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) plus home exercise and advice (HEA) compared with HEA alone reduces leg pain in the short and long term in adults with BRLP. DESIGN: Controlled pragmatic trial with allocation by minimization conducted from 2007 to 2011. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00494065)...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether surgery is an effective option for the treatment of stenosis of the lumbar spine and degenerative spondylolisthesis in the octogenarian population. METHODS: An as-treated analysis of patients with lumbar stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis enrolled in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) was performed. Patients who were at least eighty years of age (n = 105) were compared with those younger than eighty years (n = 1130)...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether cord signal change (CSC) visualized on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates with level-specific physical examination findings as well as other signs of cervical myelopathy. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although CSC is often used as a marker for severe cervical spine pathology, it is not known whether CSC detected on MRI actually translates clinically into level-specific findings detected on physical examination...

STUDY DESIGN: This article comprises a review of the literature pertaining to the normal and pathological lumbar disc and the compilation of a standardized nomenclature. OBJECTIVE: To provide a resource that promotes a clear understanding of lumbar disc terminology among clinicians, radiologists, and researchers. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The article "Nomenclature and Classification of Lumbar Disc Pathology. Recommendations of the Combined Task Forces of the North American Spine Society, American Society of Spine Radiology and American Society of Neuroradiology" was published in 2001 in Spine © Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins and formally endorsed by the 3 boards...

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that brief physiotherapy programmes are as effective for acute whiplash-associated disorders as more comprehensive programmes; however, whether this also holds true for chronic whiplash-associated disorders is unknown. We aimed to estimate the effectiveness of a comprehensive exercise programme delivered by physiotherapists compared with advice in people with a chronic whiplash-associated disorder. METHODS: PROMISE is a two group, pragmatic randomised controlled trial in patients with chronic (>3 months and <5 years) grade 1 or 2 whiplash-associated disorder...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

STUDY DESIGN: Microstructural investigation of compression-induced disruption of the flexed lumbar disc. OBJECTIVE: To provide a microstructural analysis of the mechanisms of annular wall failure in healthy discs subjected to flexion and an elevated rate of compression. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: At the level of the motion segment failure of the disc in compression has been extensively studied. However, at the microstructural level the exact mechanisms of disc failure are still poorly understood, especially in relation to loading posture and rate...