Articles: low-back-pain.
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Background and objective: The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on medical practice worldwide. In this study, we aimed to investigate the trends of elective spine surgery in our department before and during the pandemic. Materials and methods: Total number of spine procedures due to disc herniation (DH) or spinal stenosis (SS) was collected during 2019-2021 in the Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Center Osijek, Croatia. ⋯ Patients younger than 65 were more likely to undergo surgery due to DH (p < 0.001), whereas older patients were more likely to suffer from SS (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The volume of elective spine surgeries decreased in the first year of the pandemic and increased the following year. Our results suggest that public health policies in the early pandemic period reduced elective surgical procedures, which was followed by a compensatory increase in the following period.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Aug 2023
ReviewExercise therapy for treatment of acute non-specific low back pain.
Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability globally. It generates considerable direct costs (healthcare) and indirect costs (lost productivity). The many available treatments for LBP include exercise therapy, which is practised extensively worldwide. ⋯ Exercise therapy compared to sham/placebo treatment may have no clinically relevant effect on pain or functional status in the short term in people with acute non-specific LBP, but the evidence is very uncertain. Exercise therapy compared to no treatment may have no clinically relevant effect on pain or functional status in the short term in people with acute non-specific LBP, but the evidence is very uncertain. We downgraded the certainty of the evidence to very low for inconsistency, risk of bias concerns, and imprecision (few participants).
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Weight gain can contribute to osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, low back pain, and poor health-related quality of life. Weight trajectory patterns have been described in older veterans with limb loss; however, there is limited evidence of changes in weight in younger veterans with limb loss. ⋯ More than half the cohort maintained a stable weight for two years after amputation, and more than a third experienced weight gain during the same time frame. Knowledge of underlying factors that were associated with weight gain could inform preventative strategies for young individuals with LLAs.
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Lower back pain is a prevalent condition affecting people across all age groups and causing significant personal and societal burdens. While numerous treatments exist, nerve mobilization has emerged as a promising approach for managing lower back pain. ⋯ It has been well documented that nerve mobilization can be effective in reducing pain and improving function in patients with lower back pain, but the underlying mechanisms have not been clarified. This study aims to review the mechanisms of nerve mobilization in the management of lower back pain, its application, and effectiveness evaluation, and provide a potential solution for managing lower back pain.
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Review Case Reports
Mobile schwannoma of the lumbar spine: A case report and literature review.
Schwannoma is a benign tumor that originates from the cells of nerve sheaths. The occurrence of mobile schwannoma of the lumbar spine is extremely rare, and when clinicians perform spinal explorations in the expected locations, the results are often negative. This report presents a case of mobile schwannoma in the lumbar spine, aiming to remind doctors to consider the possibility of tumor migration during preoperative planning, thereby avoiding secondary harm to the patient. ⋯ Clinical physicians should increase their understanding of mobile schwannoma of the lumbar spine and utilize imaging techniques to accurately locate the tumor before surgery, in order to avoid unnecessary surgical scope and the risks of additional surgery.