Articles: low-back-pain.
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Oct 2005
Comparative StudyA cross-sectional study comparing pain and disability levels in patients with low back pain with and without transitional lumbosacral vertebrae.
To determine whether patients with transitional lumbosacral vertebrae report more pain and disability compared with patients with normal lumbar vertebrae. ⋯ The presence of a transitional lumbosacral vertebra in this group of patients was not related to an increased level of reported low back pain or disability.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of pressure pain detection thresholds in people with chronic low back pain and volunteers without pain.
Palpation is often utilized in the physical examination of patients with low back pain. The purpose of this study was to compare the pressure pain detection threshold (PPDT) of people with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and subjects without pain. ⋯ Neurobiological or biopsychosocial influences may have contributed to the lower PPDT evident in subjects with CLBP. Subjects with CLBP demonstrated a lower global PPDT compared with subjects without pain, which should be taken into account when interpreting findings of pain or tenderness from palpation.
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Occupational medicine · Oct 2005
Occupational factors associated with low back pain in urban taxi drivers.
Urban taxi drivers differ from other professional drivers in their exposures to physical and psychosocial hazards in the work environment. Epidemiological data on low back pain (LBP) of this occupational group are very scarce. ⋯ We have identified that long driving time and several physical and psychosocial factors are associated with high prevalence of LBP in taxi drivers. This should be further investigated in prospective studies. Future studies are needed to examine the potential adverse effects of prolonged exposure to low levels of whole-body vibration.
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Posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) is the most popular technique for stabilizing the lumbar spine. Biomechanically, PLF decreases segmental motion in the posterior column, which presumably reduces facet joint pain. Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) may decompress nerve roots by distracting the collapsed disc space, and achieving optimal fusion in relation to load-bearing capacity. The purpose of the study was to examine the role of interbody fixation vs pedicle fixation in transverse lumbar fusion and to assess treated and adjacent disc space height changes over time. ⋯ Disc space height does not seem to impact clinical outcome in lumbar fusion, and efforts to maintain it may be unwarranted.
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Comparative Study
Repeatability of stature measurements in individuals with and without chronic low-back pain.
Measurements of reduction in stature have been used to compare spinal loading in chronic low-back pain (CLBP) and asymptomatic populations. Whether there are any differences in the repeatability of stature measurements, between those with and without CLBP, is not known. This investigation aimed to determine the repeatability of stature measurements in those with (n = 12) and without (n = 12) CLBP, and to establish if the ability to produce repeatable measurements is retained after a specific timeframe. ⋯ Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) demonstrated good levels of repeatability for all stature measurements obtained from the participants and the values for Standard error of the measurement (SEM) improved as the mean SD decreased with each measurement set. Investigators should have confidence in the ability of those with and without CLBP to produce equally repeatable stature measurements with appropriate prior practice. The second session of testing demonstrated that both groups had retained the ability to achieve the desired level of repeatability (SD < or = 0.5 mm) 2 weeks later without further practice.