Articles: low-back-pain.
-
Cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. ⋯ Low back pain is associated with signs of disc degeneration and sciatic pain with posterior disc bulges. Low back pain is strongly associated with occupation.
-
Mechanical testing of cadaveric motion segments. ⋯ The posterior anulus can be stress shielded by the neural arch in extended postures, but the effect is variable. This may explain why extension exercises can relieve low back pain in some patients.
-
For the treatment of back pain, behavioral modification, pharmacotherapy, non-pharmacological conservative treatment and surgical procedures are available. Systemic and metabolic disorders require specific treatment. Medication that may be considered includes non-opioid analgesics with or without an antiphlogistic action, opioid analgesics, muscle relaxants and antidepressants. ⋯ For myofascial pain, flupirtine is to be recommended because of its analgetic and muscle-tone-normalizing actions. Local anesthetic infiltration or nerve blocks are useful in blocking nociception with its pathophysiological sequelae. For chronic back pain, opioids and some antidepressants have a more favorable benefit-risk profile than NSAIDs.
-
Comparative Study
Lumbar disc high-intensity zone: the value and significance of provocative discography in the determination of the discogenic pain source.
Disagreement still exists in the literature as to the significance of the high-intensity zone (HIZ) demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a potential pain indicator in patients with low back pain. A prospective blind study was therefore conducted to evaluate the lumbar disc high-intensity zone with the pain provocation response of lumbar discography. Consecutive patients with low back pain unresponsive to conservative treatment and being considered for spinal fusion were subjected to MRI followed by lumbar discography as a pre-operative assessment. ⋯ The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value for pain reproduction were high, at 81%, 79% and 87% respectively. The nature of the HIZ remains unknown, but it may represent an area of secondary inflammation as a result of an annular tear. We conclude from our study that the lumbar disc HIZ observed on MRI in patients with low back pain is likely to represent painful internal disc disruption.