Exercise Therapy in Nonspecific Low Back Pain among Individuals with Lower-Limb Amputation: A Systematic Review.

Low back pain is very common condition that often becomes a long-lasting problem in prostheses users after lower limb amputation. The presented study aims to decide the potential benefits of exercise therapy on low back pain among lower limb amputees by using a systematic review. The PICO technique was used to answer the primary issue of this review: Does exercise treatment lessen the prevalence of low back pain in the population of lower limb amputees? Systematic review was conducted in the following databases: Medline-PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies up to September 2010 published in English are included. Aim, target population, development and execution strategies, and treatment suggestions were among the data gathered. The primary outcomes of interest were exercise interventions as a therapy for low back pain but only two articles met including criteria. The search was broadened and 21 studies describing biomechanical changes in gait and pelvic-spine posture were analysed. This review indicates that movement therapy is a potential treatment strategy in low back pain among amputees. The major limitation of the study is the very heterogenous group of subjects in terms of amputation level, baseline activity level and comorbidities. We used a procedure that was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022345556) to perform this systematic review of systematic reviews. There is a necessity of good quality research for concluding a consensus of exercise intervention.

Surface Shape of the Calcaneal Tuberosity and the Occurrence of Retrocalcaneal Bursitis among Runners.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to establish the relationship between the shape of the calcaneal tuberosity (flat, stepped, rounded, normal) and the probability that retrocalcaneal bursitis among people who train running regularly. METHODS: The study included a group of 30 runners who suffered from retrocalcaneal bursitis in the past, and 30 people who never had symptoms of this disease. The study was based on a diagnostic survey, as well as on clinical examination. The surface of the calcaneal tuberosity and the slope of the calcaneus were assessed using X-rays. The mobility of the bursa, its surface size, the thickness of the Achilles tendon and its attachment rate were established during an ultrasound examination. RESULTS: Flat surface of the calcaneal tuberosity increases fourfold the risk of suffering from retrocalcaneal bursitis (OR = 4.3). The people whose calcaneus slope is above 25° are at increased risk of suffering from such an inflammation compared with the people whose calcaneus bone is more horizontal (OR = 2.8). The analysis shows that the thickness of the Achilles tendon (p = 0.001), the surface size of the bursa (p = 0.009), as well as the flat surface of the calcaneal tuberosity (p = 0.008) are strongly associated with the occurrence of retrocalcaneal bursitis. CONCLUSIONS: The flat shape of the calcaneal tuberosity increases the risk of bursitis. The risk of inflammation is higher when the Achilles tendon is thicker and the surface of the bursa is smaller than normal.

Correlation of Body Mass Index with Pelvis and Lumbar Spine Alignment in Sagittal Plane in Hemophilia Patients.

Introduction: Concern about weight gain among people has been high due to negative health consequences in addition to the increasing prevalence of the problem. Overweight and obesity also occur in patients with hemophilia. Analysis of literature shows that increased body weight might have a biomechanical effect on the spatial orientation of the pelvis and the lumbar spine. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the parameters characterizing the alignment of the sacrum (SS, sacral slope), the pelvis (PT, pelvic tilt; PI, pelvic incidence) and the angle value of lumbar lordosis (LL, lumbar lordosis) assessed in the sagittal plane among patients with hemophilia. Materials and methods: A total of 49 patients were subjected to the study, 23 of whom met the inclusion criteria. Body weight and height were measured. Measurement of the angle values of indicators characterizing the position of the lumbar-pelvic complex was established based on X-ray imaging analysis. Results: Analysis of the correlation between the BMI and sacral, pelvic, and lumbar indicators evaluated in the sagittal plane in the study group of patients with hemophilia showed a correlation between BMI and SS (r = 0.48). SS values were significantly and positively related to PI (r = 0.6; p = 0.002) and LL (r = 0.46; p = 0.02). The results obtained indicate the BMI relationship with the setting of the sacrum in the sagittal plane (SS). After adjusting for the knee flexion contracture, the correlation on the border of significance (b = 0.73, p = 0.07) between the body mass index and the spatial orientation of the pelvis and the spine was revealed. Conclusion: We hypothesize that increased body weight among people with hemophilia might have an effect on the positioning of the lumbosacral region. Therefore, it is believed that preventing obesity among people with hemophilia can contribute to a smaller number of intra-articular hemorrhages and better orthopedic condition of the limb joints, and thus could avoid changes in the lumbosacral region as well as their consequences.