Articles: low-back-pain.
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Comparative Study
Physicians' initial management of acute low back pain versus evidence-based guidelines. Influence of sciatica.
Little information is available on physician characteristics and patient presentations that may influence compliance with evidence-based guidelines for acute low back pain. ⋯ A majority of primary care physicians continue to be noncompliant with evidence-based back pain guidelines. Sciatica dramatically influenced clinical decision-making, increasing the extent of noncompliance, particularly for internal medicine and family practice. Physicians' misunderstanding of sciatica's natural history and belief that more intensive initial management is indicated may be factors underlying the observed influence of sciatica.
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Agreement between patients' and health professionals' perceptions has been shown to be low to moderate for different aspects of the patients' pain experience. Little is known, however, about patient-physiotherapist agreement in low back pain. The study objectives were to describe patient-physiotherapist agreement for low back pain intensity and functional limitations, and to identify correlates of agreement. A cross-sectional design was used. Seventy-eight patients with acute/subacute nonspecific low back pain and their respective physiotherapists were included in the study. After the initial physiotherapy consultation, patients and physiotherapists completed a Numerical Rating Scale and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to measure chance-corrected agreement. Patients' and physiotherapists' mean ratings were also compared using paired t tests. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with agreement measures. The level of agreement was moderate for pain intensity (ICC = 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38-0.69) and functional limitations (ICC = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.22-0.74). Both variables were rated significantly (P < .05) lower by the physiotherapists than by the patients. Higher ratings by the patients for pain and functional limitations were related to higher differences in perceptions between patients and physiotherapists. This report shows that physiotherapists' perceptions of their patients' pain intensity and functional limitations often differ from their patients'. ⋯ The findings of this study indicate that there are frequent discrepancies between patients' and physiotherapists' perceptions of the patients' low back pain experience. Gaining a better understanding of the level of patient-physiotherapist agreement and identifying the correlates of agreement may help improve physiotherapists' interventions with people with low back pain.
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Low back pain is a major physical and socioeconomic problem. A significant percentage is attributable to internal disc disruption (IDD). ⋯ In carefully selected patients, it could be an effective treatment alternative. Further studies with long-term follow-up are necessary.
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Infective endocarditis in association with spondylodiscitis is rarely observed. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between rheumatologic diseases and infective endocarditis. We reported a 61-year-old male with Streptococcus viridans endocarditis suffering from low-back pain as initial symptom. ⋯ L4-5 spondylodiscitis was revealed on the lumbar magnetic resonance imaging. He responded to antibiotic treatment. Infective endocarditis should be considered in patients with fever and low-back pain due to spondylodiscitis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Transdermal fentanyl versus sustained release oral morphine in strong-opioid naïve patients with chronic low back pain.
Open, randomized, parallel group multicenter study. ⋯ TDF and SRM provided equivalent levels of pain relief, but TDF was associated with less constipation. This study indicates that sustained-release strong opioids can safely be used in strong-opioid naïve patients.