The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) commonly results not only in motor paralysis but also in the emergence of neuropathic pain (NeuP), both of which can impair the quality of life for patients with SCI. In the clinical field, it is well known that pregabalin, which binds to the voltage-gated calcium channel alpha-2-delta-1 (α2δ-1) subunit has therapeutic effects on NeuP after SCI. A previous study has demonstrated that SCI increased α2δ-1 in the L4-L6 dorsal spinal cord of SCI rats by Western blot analysis and that the increase of α2δ-1 was correlated with tactile allodynia of the hind paw. However, the detailed feature of an increase in α2δ-1 protein in the spinal dorsal horn and the mechanism of pregabalin effect on SCI-induced NeuP have not been fully examined. ⋯ The present study results suggest that an increase of α2δ-1 in the L4 and L5 dorsal horns after thoracic SCI is derived from the increase in the expression in lumbar spinal neurons. This increase may be involved in the development of NeuP in the hind paws and the therapeutic effect of pregabalin on central NeuP after SCI.
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Meta Analysis
Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Mobilization and manipulation therapies are widely used to benefit patients with chronic low back pain. However, questions remain about their efficacy, dosing, safety, and how these approaches compare with other therapies. ⋯ There is moderate-quality evidence that manipulation and mobilization are likely to reduce pain and improve function for patients with chronic low back pain; manipulation appears to produce a larger effect than mobilization. Both therapies appear safe. Multimodal programs may be a promising option.
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The development of muscle fat infiltration (MFI) in the neck muscles is associated with poor functional recovery following whiplash injury. Custom software and time-consuming manual segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is required for quantitative analysis and presents as a barrier for clinical translation. ⋯ These preliminary results suggest a qualitative MRI measure for MFI is reliable and valid, and may prove useful toward the classification of WAD in radiology practice.
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Chronic opioid therapy is associated with worse patient-reported outcomes (PROs) following spine surgery. However, little literature exists on the relationship between opioid use and PROs following epidural steroid injections for radicular pain. ⋯ Increased pre-injection opioid use does not impact long-term outcomes after ESIs for degenerative spine diseases. A pre-injection MEA around 50 mg/day may represent a threshold above which the 3-month effectiveness of ESI for back- and neck-related disability decreases. Epidural steroid injection is an effective treatment modality for pain in patients using opioids, and can be part of a multimodal strategy for opioid independence.
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to identify pathology contributing to neck pain. However, the importance of findings on MRI remains unclear. ⋯ The limited number, heterogeneity, and small sample size of the included studies do not permit definitive conclusions on the association between MRI findings of the cervical spine with future neck pain.