Side posture manipulation for lumbar intervertebral disk herniation.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this article is to review the status of side posture manipulation for lumbar intervertebral disk herniation. DATA SOURCES, STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: The data presented in this article are from our Back Pain Clinic at the Royal University Hospital and the articles cited are those which we feel are important in reviewing this subject. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of lumbar intervertebral disk herniation by side posture manipulation is both safe and effective. Further research is required to understand more fully the effects of this treatment on the intervertebral disk.

Elastic Supports and Body SuitsEffective Energy-Storing Garments.

The principles behind the use of lumbar supports have changed drastically in recent years. Once used for immobilization, lumbar supports and body suits are now being used to encourage mobility and return to function in low back pain patients. Modern concepts regarding the stored/strain energy of elastic garments are introduced, followed by a discussion of how body suits and elastic supports utilize these properties to assist the low back pain patient. A number of different types of elastic garments are illustrated.The use of rigid corsets for low back pain began around the turn of the century with the use of plaster jackets. More recently, heavy nylon, steel stays, and complex plastics have been used for the same purpose. The rationale for this type of immobilization includes assistance for weakened muscles, protection from injury, correction of deformity, control of pain, restriction of spinal movements, and increased temperature.1-4Some of these proposed physiologic mechanisms have been investigated, including intraabdominal and intradiscal pressure changes, paraspinal electro myographic (EMG) activity, and intersegmental as well as gross spinal motions.4-9 The results ofthese studies have been equivocal, as have the findings of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of rigid orthoses.10-15 Further, certain disadvantages to the use of rigid orthoses have been described, including possible muscle atrophy and dependency. Also, because of the discomfi)rt of the devices and the resultant interference with activities of daily living, patient compliance can be poor.16Corsets and other similar rigid supports are not commonly used now, except for a few special cases. Elastic body suits or supports are replacing the rigid-backed brace, and the emphasis is shifting from immobilization to assisted mobility and increased function. These new garments are comfortable, and the patient is almost unaware of their presence.In this article the principles of stored or strain (elastic) energy will be reviewed, followed by a discussion of the merits of its use in the back pain patient. We will also illustrate some types of elastic garments available today.

Causes and clinical management of vertebral osteomyelitis in Saskatchewan.

A retrospective review of all patients with vertebral osteomyelitis admitted to all Saskatchewan referral hospitals from 1973 to 1986 was undertaken to determine the incidence and clinical characteristics of the disease. There were 73 patients, an incidence of 5.3 cases/million per year. Erroneous initial diagnoses were common (41%). There was a significantly increased risk in patients older than 60 years. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent organism. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was present in 29.5% and was more common in native Indian patients. Surgery was performed in 31% of all patients, and in 50% of those with tuberculous infections. The outcome was excellent in 92% of patients. Diabetes and transurethral resection of the prostate were risk factors for vertebral osteomyelitis.

Lumbar intervertebral disc herniation: treatment by rotational manipulation.

We describe the case of a patient with a lumbar disc herniation who underwent a course of side posture manipulation. Despite the appearance of an enormous central herniation on the CT scan, the patient improved considerable during only 2 wk of treatment. The disparity which so commonly exists between radiological and clinical findings is depicted in this case. Further, it is emphasized that manipulation has been shown to be an effective treatment for some patients with lumbar disc herniation. While complications of this form of treatment have been reported in the literature, such incidents are rare.

A study of the effects of bipedism and upright posture on the lumbosacral spine and paravertebral muscles of the Wistar rat.

Twenty-one bipedal rats were prepared by forelimb amputation and reared with 19 control rats. All of the bipedal rats became proficient upright walkers. There was significant anterior wedging of the lower lumbar vertebral bodies in all of the bipedal rats and four had radiographic evidence of degenerative disc disease. Five bipedal rats developed lumbosacral disc herniations, and the lumbar neural canal was significantly smaller in the bipedal population. There was no difference in radionuclide uptake between the two groups. Histochemical analysis of the psoas and multifidus muscles showed a significant shift from type I to type II fibers in the psoas and from type II to type I fibers in the multifidus in the bipedal population. These results indicate that upright posture places considerable stress on the lumbosacral spine and paravertebral muscles of the rat.

Transfemoral coronary arteriography via a prosthetic aortic bifurcation graft.

Angiographers may inappropriately avoid the transfemoral access route when a prosthetic aortic bifurcation graft exists. An aortofemoral graft will necessitate overdilatation of the femoral puncture site to allow adequate manipulation. If the puncture transverses both walls of the femoral limb of the graft into the native artery, further withdrawal of the catheter will allow reentry into the graft. When an aorta-to-external-iliac, end-to-side graft is present, transfemoral catheterization will frequently result in the guide wire or catheter tip terminating in the occluded common iliac artery. By choosing the proper catheter, entrance into the distal limb of the proximally communicating graft may be achieved. For the unwary operator, these confusing situations may result in failure to properly catheterize the graft. The methods of successfully overcoming these problems are discussed and illustrated.

Recognizing specific characteristics of nonspecific low back pain.

A retrospective review of 1293 cases of low back pain treated over a 12-year period revealed that sacroiliac joint syndrome and posterior joint syndromes were the most common referred-pain syndromes, whereas herniated nucleus pulposus and lateral spinal stenosis were the most common nerve root compression lesions. Referred pain syndromes occur nearly twice as often and frequently mimic the clinical presentation of nerve root compression syndromes. Combined lesions occurred in 33.5% of cases. Lateral spinal stenosis and herniated nucleus pulposus coexisted in 17.7%. In 30% of the cases of spondylolisthesis, the radiographic findings were incidental and the source of pain was the sacroiliac joint. Distinguishing radicular from referred pain, recognition of coexisting lesions, and correlation of diagnostic imaging with the overall clinical presentation facilities formulation of a rational plan of therapy. The above-outlined approach to managing low back pain evolved over a 12-year period. Designed to establish a specific diagnosis, it should yield excellent or good results in 84% of patients.

A comparison of the effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy for low back pain patients with and without spondylolisthesis.

The effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy for low back pain is compared between two groups of patients: a small group (25) of patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis and a larger group (260) of patients without spondylolisthesis. This data, which was collected from a previously published study on the effectiveness of manipulation for chronic low back pain, shows that the results of manipulative treatment are not significantly different in those patients with or without lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Relationship between spinal biomechanics and pathological changes in the equine thoracolumbar spine.

The relationship between spinal biomechanics and pathological changes occurring in functionally normal equine thoracolumbar spines was studied in 23 horses. Ventrolateral vertebral body osteophytes occurred in 36 per cent of the spines. The majority occurred between the 10th and 17th thoracic vertebrae with the largest being found between the 11th and 13th thoracic vertebrae, the region of the thoracic spine where the greatest amount of lateral bending and axial rotation occurs. Impingement of the dorsal spinous processes was detected in 86 per cent of the spines with most lesions occurring between the 13th and 18th thoracic vertebrae. The severity of occurrence of impingement did not appear to be related to regional spinal mobility. Degeneration of intervertebral discs was observed in three of four specimens that were sectioned sagittally. It occurred in the first thoracic and the lumbosacral intervertebral discs and appeared to be related to the increased dorsoventral mobility and the increased disc thickness of these joints. The characteristic distribution of fractures of the thoracolumbar spine is discussed with respect to the biomechanics of the spine.

Radiologic diagnosis of degenerative lumbar spinal instability.

A lumbar motion segment is considered to be unstable when it exhibits abnormal movement. This movement can be abnormal in quality (abnormal coupling patterns) or in quantity (abnormal increased motion). This instability can be symptomatic or asymptomatic, depending on the demands made on the motion segment. Pain is a signal of impending or actual tissue damage, and when present it indicates that a certain mechanical threshold has been reached or transgressed. Repeated transgressions will damage the stabilizing structures beyond physiologic repair, thus putting abnormal demands on secondary restraints. Radiographic study with dynamic views obtained in the frontal and lateral planes identify unstable states in the clinical environment.

A new femoral bypass graft catheter.

A three-dimensional left coronary bypass graft catheter with a sidewinder configuration is described. It is best suited for superior origins of left coronary bypass grafts. This graft catheter has been used successfully from the femoral route in more than 620 patients without serious complications. The method for using this catheter from the femoral route is described.

Spinal manipulation in the treatment of low-back pain.

Spinal manipulation, one of the oldest forms of therapy for back pain, has mostly been practiced outside of the medical profession. Over the past decade, there has been an escalation of clinical and basic science research on manipulative therapy, which has shown that there is a scientific basis for the treatment of back pain by manipulation. Most family practitioners have neither the time nor inclination to master the art of manipulation and will wish to refer their patients to a skilled practitioner of this therapy. Results of spinal manipulation in 283 patients with low back pain are presented. The physician who makes use of this resource will provide relief for many patients.

The relationship of structural pathology to the nerve root.

Lumbar spinal nerves may be entrapped (a) at the back of the disc (b) laterally in the central canal, (c) in the cauda equina, (d) more laterally in the nerve canal, and (e) posteriorly in the zygapophyseal joints. There is a spectrum of degenerative change in both joints and disc. Changes at these three sites can produce (a) dysfunction, (b) disc herniation, (c) instability, (d) lateral entrapment, and (e) central stenosis. The clinical significance is that many patients become symptom free on nonoperative treatment. Some with nerve entrapment require decompression. Those with instability may need a fusion. The pain from a disc lesion or from stenosis may come from irritation and inflammation of the dura. The motor loss in these lesions may be due to reflex inhibition and vascular insufficiency rather than from nerve compression. It is vitally important to identify accurately the nerve that is entrapped.

The pathophysiology of degenerative disease of the lumbar spine.

Degeneration starts in one joint and eventually involves all three joints of the three-joint-complex (one disc and two posterior joints) at an intervertebral level. Later, mechanical changes occur that affect the levels above and below and cause similar changes there. The result is multilevel lumbar spondylosis and stenosis. The spectrum of degenerative changes in a three-joint-complex progresses through three stages, which help to predict the outcome of different types of treatment.

Detection of diastolic left ventricular function abnormalities in patients with coronary artery disease and normal systolic function.

We angiographically calculated left ventricular (LV) filling in 50 patients, all of whom had normal systolic LV function and 21 (42%) of whom had coronary systolic LV function and 21 (42%) of whom had coronary artery disease. Five volume determinations were made: at end systole (ESV), first third (DV 1/3, half (DV 1/2), and second third of diastole (DV 2/3), and at the end of diastole (EDV). To assess different modalities of filling, we calculated filling fractions in the first third (FF 1/3) as the ratio of volume filled in the first third diastole (DV 1/3-ESV) over total diastolic filling (EDV-ESV). Similar filling fractions (FF) were calculated at half (FF 1/2), second third (FF 2/3), and last third (FF 3/3) of diastole. We found significant differences between normal and coronary artery disease patients as follows: FF 1/3: 37.4 +/- 14.9 versus 23.8 +/- 11.9%, respectively (p less than 0.002); FF 1/2: 58.6 +/- 14.7 versus 45.3 +/- 15.1% (p less than 0.005); FF 2/3: 33.8 +/- 15.2 versus 39.0 +/- 10.4% (NS), and differences in the opposite direction in the FF 3/3: 28.8 +/- 15.2 versus 37.2 +/- 11.9% (p less than 0.02), respectively. We conclude that LV filling is accomplished differently in patients with coronary artery disease even if they have normal systolic function.