Efficacy of a high-intensity home stretching device and traditional physical therapy in non-operative management of adhesive capsulitis - a prospective, randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Historically, in-person physical therapy serves as a foundational component of nonoperative treatment of adhesive capsulitis (AC). This study compares the effectiveness of an at-home high-intensity stretch (HIS) device to traditional physical therapy (PT) and to PT in combination with the HIS device. We hypothesize that the HIS device will be as effective as PT alone or as combination therapy in the first-line treatment of AC and use of the HIS device will exhibit improvement at higher rate. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis and a minimum of 12 months follow-up were included in this study. Patients were randomized into one of the three groups: HIS device, PT alone, or HIS device + PT. Passive range of motion (ROM), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), and Simple Shoulder Test (SST) scores were measured. Additionally, patient satisfaction, compliance and complications were recorded. Paired t-test, ANOVA and Chi-squared tests were used in analysis. RESULTS: Final ROM in all planes improved for all groups compared to baseline (p < 0.001), with only HIS device group able to restore > 95% of contralateral ROM in all planes at final follow-up. Patients with PT alone were on average slowest to improve ROM from baseline, at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year in all planes except internal rotation. ASES and SST scores improved for all groups when compared to baseline (p < 0.001). Use of HIS-device resulted in greater improvement in SST and ASES Total scores compared to PT alone (p = 0.045, and p = 0.048, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Use of an at-home high-intensity stretching device for conservative treatment of idiopathic adhesive capsulitis improves outcomes in ROM and in ASES and SST scores both when used as an adjunct to physical therapy and when used alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered at www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov (20/05/2022, NCT05384093).

Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with an expandable interbody device: Two-year clinical and radiographic outcomes.

Background: The use of interbody cages as an adjunct to lumbar spinal fusion remains an important technique to enhance segmental stability, promote solid arthrodesis, maintain neuroforaminal decompression, and preserve/improve segmental lordosis. Appropriate segmental lumbar lordosis and sagittal balance is well-known to be critical for long-term patient outcomes. This study sought to evaluate the radiographic and clinical results of TLIF in patients using an articulating, expandable cage. Primary endpoint was clinical and radiographic outcomes, including complications, at 12 and 24 months. Methods: A total of 37 patients underwent open single-level or 2-level TLIF by a single surgeon using an expandable cage with concomitant bilateral pedicle screws and posterolateral arthrodesis. Clinical outcomes included ODI and VAS for back and legs. Radiographic outcomes included pelvic incidence and tilt, lumbar and segmental lordoses, and disc height at the operative level(s). All outcomes were collected at baseline, 2-weeks, 6-weeks, 3-months, 6-months, 12-months, and 24-months postop. Results: A total of 28 patients were available for analysis. Nine patients failed to follow-up at 24 months. Mean ODI scores showed significant improvement, from pre-to-postoperative at 24 months (55%; p<.0001). VAS for back and legs was significantly lower at 24 months on average by 72 and 79%, respectively (p<.0001 for both). Both segmental and lumbar lordoses significantly improved by 5.3° and 4.2° (p<.0001 and p=.049), respectively. Average disc height improved by 49% or 6.1 mm (p<.001). No device-related complications nor instances of measured subsidence. One patient had a superficial infection, and another had an intraoperatively repaired incidental durotomy. Conclusions: The use of an expandable cage contributed to improvement in both segmental and lumbar lordosis with no reported complications at 24-month follow-up. All clinical measures significantly improved as well. The expandable cage design represents an effective and safe option to increase cage size and allow significant segmental lordosis correction.