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A randomized clinical trial comparing chiropractic adjustments to muscle relaxants for subacute low back pain.

BACKGROUND: The adult lifetime incidence for low back pain is 75% to 85% in the United States. Investigating appropriate care has proven difficult, since, in general, acute pain subsides spontaneously and chronic pain is resistant to intervention. Subacute back pain has been rarely studied. OBJECTIVE: To compare the relative efficacy of chiropractic adjustments with muscle relaxants and placebo/sham for subacute low back pain. DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial. METHODS: Subjects (N = 192) experiencing low back pain of 2 to 6 weeks' duration were randomly allocated to 3 groups with interventions applied over 2 weeks. Interventions were either chiropractic adjustments with placebo medicine, muscle relaxants with sham adjustments, or placebo medicine with sham adjustments. Visual Analog Scale for Pain, Oswestry Disability Questionnaire, and Modified Zung Depression Scale were assessed at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Schober's flexibility test, acetaminophen usage, and Global Impression of Severity Scale (GIS), a physician's clinical impression used as a secondary outcome, were assessed at baseline and 2 weeks. RESULTS: Baseline values, except GIS, were similar for all groups. When all subjects completing the protocol were combined (N = 146), the data revealed pain, disability, depression, and GIS decreased significantly (P <.0001); lumbar flexibility did not change. Statistical differences across groups were seen for pain, a primary outcome, (chiropractic group improved more than control group) and GIS (chiropractic group improved more than other groups). No significant differences were seen for disability, depression, flexibility, or acetaminophen usage across groups. CONCLUSION: Chiropractic was more beneficial than placebo in reducing pain and more beneficial than either placebo or muscle relaxants in reducing GIS.

Acetaminophen↗

Positive effects of physiotherapy on chronic pain and performance in osteoporosis.

The aim of this placebo-controlled, randomized, single-masked study was to establish the effects of a 10-week ambulatory exercise programme for osteoporotic patients on pain, use of analgesics, functional status, quality of life, balance and muscle strength. Fifty-three ambulatory postmenopausal women with at least one spinal crush fracture and pains within the last 3 years were randomized for physiotherapeutic training twice a week for 10 weeks or no training. The training included general training of balance and muscle strength, with stabilization of the lumbar spine. The participants were tested at baseline, week 5 and week 10 with a balance test, muscle strength test and questionnaires on pain, use of analgesics, functional status and quality of life. Twelve weeks after the supervised training had finished (week 22) they answered the same questionnaires. The study groups were comparable at baseline. The training group had a significant reduction in use of analgesics (p = 0.02) and pain level (p = 0.01) during the training period. Distribution of functional score improved; the improvement was reduced at week 22. Quality of life score improved significantly throughout the study (p = 0.0008), even after week 22. Balance improved non-significantly (p = 0.08). Quadriceps muscle strength improved significantly after 5 weeks (p = 0.04). Back extensor muscle strength improved almost significantly (p = 0.09). In conclusion, this training programme for osteoporotic patients improved balance and level of daily function and decreased experience of pain and use of analgesics. Quality of life was improved even beyond the active training period.

Aged↗

Continuous low-level heat wrap therapy for the prevention and early phase treatment of delayed-onset muscle soreness of the low back: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of continuous low-level heat wrap therapy for the prevention and early phase treatment (ie, 0-48 h postexercise) of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the low back. DESIGN: Two prospective randomized controlled trials. SETTING: Outpatient medical facility. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-seven subjects asymptomatic of back pain and in good general health (mean age, 23.5+/-6.6 y). INTERVENTIONS: Participants performed vigorous eccentric exercise to experimentally induce low back DOMS. Participants were assigned to 1 of 2 substudies (prevention and treatment) and randomized to 1 of 2 treatment groups within each substudy: prevention study (heat wrap, n=17; control [nontarget muscle stretch], n=18) and treatment study (heat wrap, n=16; cold pack, n=16). Interventions were administered 4 hours before and 4 hours after exercise in the prevention study and between hours 18 to 42 postexercise in the treatment study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To coincide with the expected occurrence of peak symptoms related to exercise-induced low back DOMS, hour 24 postexercise was considered primary. Pain intensity (prevention) and pain relief (treatment) were primary measures, and self-reported physical function and disability were secondary measures. RESULTS: In the prevention study, at hour 24 postexercise, pain intensity, disability, and deficits in self-reported physical function in subjects with the heat wrap were reduced by 47% (P<.001), 52.3% (P=.029), and 45% (P=.013), respectively, compared with the control group. At hour 24 in the treatment study, postexercise, pain relief with the heat wrap was 138% greater (P=.026) than with the cold pack; there were no differences between the groups in changes in self-reported physical function and disability. CONCLUSIONS: In this small study, continuous low-level heat wrap therapy was of significant benefit in the prevention and early phase treatment of low back DOMS.

Adult↗

Postural axial tremor in a patient with cerebellar atrophy.

A patient affected by low-frequency postural tremor of the trunk and limbs is reported. Apart from mild dysarthria and gait ataxia, no other neurological abnormalities were present. Cerebellar atrophy was demonstrated by means of magnetic resonance imaging. The tremor was associated with alternating activity in antagonistic muscles; it was triggered whenever a contraction of lumbar back extensor muscles occurred. Electrical stimulation of the cerebellum did not produce the normal suppression phases of motor responses evoked by a magnetic stimulation of the cerebral cortex.

Aged↗

Does a back support have a positive biomechanical effect?

Back supports, or lifting belts, are widely used. Subjects, free of low back pain, lifted in a simulated task, meeting the 1993 NIOSH guidelines. The back support reduced the electromyographic signal in the dorsal muscles. The back support also reduced the height loss as measured by a stadiometer. In most subjects the support also gave a subjective impression of increased support and increased lifting capacity.

Journal Article↗

Muscle reflex classification of low-back pain.

It has been well documented that low-back pain (LBP) patients have longer muscle response latencies to perturbation than healthy controls. These muscle responses appear to be reflexive and not voluntary in nature, and as a result, might be useful for objectively classifying LBP. The goal of the study was to develop an objective and accurate method for classifying LBP using a sudden load-release protocol. Subjects were divided into two groups: learning group (20 patients and 20 controls), and holdout group (15 patients and 12 controls). Subjects exerted isometric trunk force against a cable in four different directions. Following cable release, the trunk was suddenly displaced eliciting a muscle reflex response. Reflex latencies for muscles switching-on and shutting-off were determined using electromyogram signals from 8 trunk muscles. Independent t tests were performed on the learning group to determine which reflex parameters were to be entered into logistic regression analysis to produce a classification model. The holdout group was used to validate this classification model. The three-parameter model was able to correctly classify 83% of the learning group, and 81% of the holdout group. Using reflex parameters appears to be an accurate and objective method for classifying LBP.

Adult↗

[An experimental study of nursing work load on the low back (author's transl)].

The relation between work postures and muscle load, the differences of muscle load in holding two different shaped objects, a human model and a box each weighting 20 kg, and the effects of wearing a belt and a corset to reduce the low back muscle load were studied in the experimental nursing work on physically and/or mentally handicapped patients. Four female healthy college students exercised a static and a dynamic nursing work designed for the experiment. E.M.G., heart rate, subjective symptoms and maximum sustaining time were measured during the work. Results are as follows: 1) The low back muscle load increased only in sustaining the forward bending posture. 2) The forward bending posture with a load weighing 20 kg caused shortening of the time to sustain the same posture. 3) The muscle load by holding the human model was larger compared to that by holding the box, and the muscle load was different according to the shape of the holding objects. 4) Wearing a belt and a corset was effective to reduce the low back muscle load by raising the abdominal pressure.

Adult↗