Nottingham Spine Research Awarded International Prize
A study aimed at overcoming problems with treatments for a common cause of back pain has picked up one of the most prestigious prizes in spinal research. The research paper produced by the team of surgeons, engineers and physicists at The University of Nottingham has scooped two out of three categories of the annual ISSLS Prize for Lumbar Spine Research. Awarded by the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), the accolade is designed to encourage innovative new work in the field and comes with a $15, 000 cash prize for each successful researcher or team. The multi-disciplinary nature of the Nottingham paper, entitled What influence does sustained mechanical load have on diffusion of small solutes in the human intervertebral discs, was recognised when judges decided to honour it in both the bioengineering studies and studies in other basic science areas categories.
Pain Meds Are Most Common Cause Of Death After Spinal Fusion Surgery: Middle-Aged Men With Disk Degeneration At Highest Risk
Pain medications are involved in more than 20 percent of deaths occurring in the years after spinal fusion surgery for low back pain, reports a study in the April 1 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. The risk of analgesic-related death is highest among patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD) especially men aged 45 to 54, according to the new research, led by Dr. Sham Maghout Juratli of Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit.
Back Pain Treatment Needs To Catch Up With Evidence: Exercise And Other Proven Treatments Are Underused
People with back pain use a lot of medical treatments, but often not the ones with the strongest evidence of effectiveness, according to a study in the April 1 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. The results suggest that some treatments with the strongest evidence of benefit for patients with low back pain such as therapeutic exercise and antidepressants are less often used. In a random telephone survey, Dr.
Labopharm Reports Results For Phase III Study On Twice-daily Tramadol-acetaminophen Formulation
Labopharm Inc. (TSX: DDS; NASDAQ: DDSS) announced the results of its recently completed North American Phase III clinical trial for its twice-daily formulation of tramadol and acetaminophen (study 06CCL3-001). Study 06CCL3-001 was a multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm study that compared the efficacy and safety of Labopharm's twice-daily tramadol-acetaminophen formulation to placebo in the treatment of moderate to severe acute low back pain. A total of 277 patients were included in the study. Thirteen percent (13%) of patients in the active treatment group discontinued early (12% due to adverse events) and 5% of patients in the placebo group discontinued early (2% due to adverse events).
Laser Spine Institute Helps Professionals Take Back Their Lives From Debilitating Back Pain
With 4.2 million administrative professionals logging long hours at their desks, it's not surprising insurance companies dish out $50 billion a year to Americans suffering from back pain. This Administrative Professionals Day, observed April 22, the Laser Spine Institute is helping administrative support professionals find relief. Simple changes in daily activities can often alleviate pain without the need for surgery. LSI Director of Physical Therapy, Irene Rademeyer PT.OCS., identifies common mistakes in the workplace that lead to increased back pain and offers ways to get back to work pain free. With facilities in Tampa and Scottsdale, LSI offers a minimally invasive surgical approach with an incision measuring less than one inch for more serious issues and a five-day process from surgery to recovery, drastically reducing the time it takes for professionals to be pain-free and back in the office.
Hit Back At Pain, Says Arthritis Care, England
A shocking 90% of calls to Arthritis Care's helpline in the last 12 months have been cries for help over pain - so this year, the charity is marking its awareness week by urging doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to support people with arthritis in making a special challenge to pain and the constraints it imposes on their lives. Pain is the chief reason people give for visiting their GP - and arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders are the commonest cause of that pain. That's why the charity has chosen 'Take control of pain' as the theme for this year's Arthritis Care Awareness Week, and is also calling for more investment in vital pain management services across the country.
Interventional Spine Announces The Initiation Of Its U.S. Clinical Study For Percutaneous Treatment Of Degenerative Disc Disease
Interventional Spine, Inc. announced the successful completion of the first U.S. out-patient interventional procedure using its PDS System for the treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) in the lumbar spine. This milestone marks the initiation of a clinical study pursuant to an Investigational Device Exemption protocol approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late November 2008. "Our goal for this study is to prove the safety and effectiveness of the PDS System as an alternative in the treatment of chronic back pain related to DDD for many of the 400, 000 patients annually facing open fusion lumbar surgery in the United States, " said Walter A.
Poor Treatment For Common Vertebral Compression Fractures
The advice and treatment given to patients with vertebral compression fractures is not satisfactory. A thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy shows that the majority of patients still have severe pain one year after the fracture. Vertebral compression fracture describes the pressing together of a vertebra in the spine such that its height is decreased. Approximately 15, 000 patients suffer from vertebral compression fractures in Sweden each year, most of these caused by osteoporosis. The fracture that arises is treated with analgesics, and the patients are advised about exercise. The patients are told that the prognosis is good and that most people get better after a few months, but no-one has actually investigated the prognosis and course of such acute compression fractures, says Professor Tommy Hansson who was supervisor for the thesis.
Rat Model Provides Insights Into Sciatica
A newly developed animal model for the painful nerve condition known as sciatica should help researchers diagnose and treat it, according to Duke University bioengineers and surgeons. Sciatica is not a single disorder, but rather a diverse range of symptoms, such as numbness or pain from the lower back to the feet, radiating leg pain or difficulty in controlling the leg. It is often caused by compression, or pinching, of any of the five nerve roots that combine to make up the sciatic nerve. These roots are the parts of the nerve that pass through openings in the spine to the spinal cord. Surgical simulation of nerve compression in rats was led by Mohammed Shamji, a neurosurgery resident and recent Ph.
Back Pain - A National Health Priority, Medical Journal Of Australia
Four out of five Australians will suffer from back pain with one in 10 experiencing significant disability according to a report in the Medical Journal of Australia. Senior author Professor Rachelle Buchbinder from Cabrini Institute and Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Dr Andrew Briggs from Curtin University of Technology's School of Physiotherapy have called for back pain to be classified as a National Health Priority Area (NHPA). They say classification of back pain as an NHPA has many benefits including improving public awareness and better coordinating management strategies. "Back pain disrupts quality of life and accounts for an enormous cost to the community, " Professor Buchbinder said.