Articles: back-pain.
-
Comparative Study
Transcutaneous electrical stimulation and acupuncture: comparison of treatment for low-back pain.
Twelve patients suffering chronic low-back pain were treated with both acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical stimulation. The order of treatments was balanced, and changes in the intensity and quality of pain were measured with the McGill Pain Questionnaire. ⋯ Both methods, therefore, appear to be equally effective, and probably have the same underlying mechanism of action. Consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods suggests that that transcutaneous electrical stimulation is potentially the more practical, since it can be administered under supervision by paramedical personnel.
-
Injection of irritant fluid precisely into the facet joint causes referred pain patterns indistinguishable from the pain complaints frequently associated with the "disk syndrome." Even straight leg raising and diminished reflex signs can be obliterated by precise local anesthetic injection into the facet joint. The use of radiographically localized injection of steroids and local anesthetic into the facet joint has been presented as a diagnostic-therapeutic procedure. Clinical experience with a group of 100 consecutive patients suggests that this treatment alone can achieve long-term relief in one-fifth of the patients with lumbago and sciatica and partial relief in another one-third of these patients. This information suggests that the structures related to the facet joint can be a persistent contributor to the chronic pain complaints of individuals with low back and leg pain.
-
The authors describe two patients with posterior thoracic pain associated with cysts of the septum posticum. One patient's pain was relieved by surgical removal of the cysts; the second patient's symptoms temporarily resolved after myelography. Posterior thoracic pain can be ascribed to myelographically proven arachnoid cysts when the pain is persistent, positionally exacerbated and associated with radicular sensory changes. Excision of the cysts may provide pain relief for some patients.