Articles: low-back-pain.
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G Ital Med Lav Ergon · Jul 2007
[LBP and disability in nursing personnel performing manual handing of patients in a large Italian hospital].
Low back pain (LBP) has been recognized as a major cause of sickness and disability among health care workers (HCW) who perform handling of patients. A survey was carrying out to investigate risk factors for LBP and related absenteeism and disability in a group of HCW. 333 HCW were examined in 2003 and 2005 and data were collected on personal, occupational and clinical history and on risk factors for LBP and related absenteeism. Psychosocial factors and LBP related disability were evaluated by means of Karasek's Job Content questionnaire and Oswestry Low Back disability Index. ⋯ Subjects with chronic LBP referred a significantly higher level of disability as compared to acute LBP subjects. Moreover, a significantly relationship was found (p = 0.04) between high level of disability (group III e IV of ODI index) and high perceived job demand. The introduction of questionnaires to collect disability and psychosocial factors is highly recommended in periodic health surveillance program of HCW performing manual handling of patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of three types of physiotherapy used to reduce chronic low back pain disability: a pragmatic randomized trial with economic evaluation.
Pragmatic, randomized, assessor blinded, clinical trial with economic analysis. ⋯ For chronic low back pain, all three physiotherapy regimens improved disability and other relevant health outcomes, regardless of their content. Physiotherapist-led pain management classes offer a cost-effective alternative to usual outpatient physiotherapy and are associated with less healthcare use. A more widespread adoption of physiotherapist-led pain management could result in considerable cost savings for healthcare providers.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jun 2007
Schmorl's nodes: common, highly heritable, and related to lumbar disc disease.
Schmorl's nodes (SN) are common, but little is known of their relationship with degenerative change and back pain or genetic and environmental factors influencing their expression. We studied healthy female twin volunteers to determine the prevalence and clinical features associated with SN. ⋯ SN are common in middle-aged women and are strongly genetically determined. They are associated with lumbar degenerative change, which is a risk factor for back pain, but are not themselves an independent risk factor for back pain.
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Prospective case-control study testing a new diagnostic method. ⋯ The study demonstrates that it is feasible and safe to measure NO with a real time-sensor in or around the facet joints. The findings of higher concentrations of NO in the perifacetal region in chronic low back patients compared with healthy controls indicate that the degenerative process of the joints in these patients may cause increased NO production. The observation of higher NO concentrations in the perifacetal region in patients responding to corticosteroid/local anesthetic infiltration indirectly suggest a more pronounced inflammatory process in these patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Physiotherapist-directed exercise, advice, or both for subacute low back pain: a randomized trial.
Advice and exercise are widely recommended for subacute low back pain, but the effectiveness of these interventions is unclear. ⋯ In participants with subacute low back pain, physiotherapist-directed exercise and advice were each slightly more effective than placebo at 6 weeks. The effect was greatest when the interventions were combined. At 12 months, the only effect that persisted was a small effect on participant-reported function. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 12605000039684.