Virtual reality is effective in the management of chronic low back ache in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back ache (CLBA) is a common condition that is conventionally managed with physical therapy and analgesics. Recently, virtual reality-based interventions have been tried out in the management of CLBA. Their effectiveness, however has not been established. This meta-analysis aims to find out if the application of VR will lead to better pain relief, as compared to conventional techniques in adults with CLBA. METHODS: The literature search was carried out in three online databases for potential randomized controlled trials that compared VR-based interventions with conventional treatment in CLBA. Data on outcome parameters were recorded. Meta-analysis was carried out with the help of appropriate software. RESULTS: Seven studies having data on 507 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. Their mean ages were 48.4 years. There were 252 subjects in the VR group and 255 in the control group. VR-based interventions were found to have a statistically significant improvement in the pain intensity compared with conventional techniques (p - 0.005). CONCLUSION: VR-based interventions are effective in the management of CLBA in the short term. Further research with longer follow-up is required to evaluate if these improvements are persistent in the long term.

Posterior-only fixation in pelvic fractures: Is it sufficient in lateral compression injuries?

PURPOSE: Lateral compression (LC) injuries account for more than two-thirds of all pelvic fractures. The goal of surgical treatment is to provide adequate stability and early mobilization. The consensus on posterior fixation of such injuries is strong in the literature; however, the necessity of anterior ring fixation is not clear. Therefore, this study was formulated to determine the practicability of posterior-only fixation in LC injuries. METHODS: Between March 2015 and May 2020, all patients with LC type pelvic ring fractures who were admitted and operated upon in a single level 1 trauma center were included in this cross-sectional observational study. Demographic data, co-morbidities, treatment, types of surgical fixation, concomitant injuries and surgeries, surgical complications, length of hospital stay, injury to weight bearing duration, and follow-up period were documented. Functional outcome and quality of life were assessed using Majeed score and SF-36 questionnaire. Non-normally distributed data were presented as median (Q1, Q3) and normally distributed data were presented as mean ± SD. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used for correlation analysis. RESULTS: A total of 25 patients were included, with a mean age of 29.8 years. All patients were managed operatively with posterior-only fixation. The median Majeed score was 90 (76, 95). The median physical component summary score was 69.37 (38.75, 85.62). The median mental component summary score was 63.95 (39.25, 87.87). There was no significant difference compared to population norms of both physical component summary and mental component summary. Injury to weight bearing time correlated significantly (p = 0.002) with Majeed score as well as SF-36 score (p = 0.044). No other variable had a significant association with outcomes. CONCLUSION: Posterior-only fixation is sufficient for fixing LC injuries with up to 80% of cases having good to excellent functional outcomes. However, comparative studies with larger sample sizes are needed for further validation.

Emerging Advances in Nanocarriers Approaches in the Effective Therapy of Pain Related Disorders: Recent Evidence and Futuristic Needs.

Pain disorders are the primary cause of disability nowadays. These disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA), cause loss of function, joint pain and inflammation and deteriorate the quality of life. The treatment of these inflammatory diseases includes anti-inflammatory drugs administered via intra-articular, topical or oral routes, physical rehabilitation or surgery. Owing to the various side effects these drugs could offer, the novel approaches and nanomaterials have shown potential to manage inflammatory diseases, prolonged half-life of anti-inflammatory drugs, reduced systemic toxicity, provide specific targeting, and refined their bioavailability. This review discusses in brief about the pain pathophysiology and its types. The review summarizes the conventional therapies used to treat pain disorders and the need for novel strategies to overcome the adverse effects of conventional therapies. The review describes the recent advancements in nanotherapeutics for inflammatory diseases using several lipids, polymers and other materials and their excellent efficiency in improving the treatment over conventional therapies. The results of the nanotherapeutic studies inferred that the necessity to use nanocarriers is due to their controlled release, targeting drug delivery to inflamed tissues, low toxicity and biocompatibility. Therefore, it is possible to assert that nanotechnology will emerge as a great tool for advancing the treatment of pain disorders in the near future.

Outcome of Complex Coronal Shear Fractures of the Distal Humerus (Dubberley Type 3) Managed by the Transolecranon Approach.

Introduction: Complex distal humerus coronal shear fractures are rare injuries. These fractures involve small articular fragments and are challenging to fix. Design: Aprospective case series of 10 patients was done at a level 1 trauma centre between February 2017 and July 2021. Dubberley type 3 fractures were included in the study. Intervention: All patients underwent ORIF using posterior approach with olecranon osteotomy by a single surgeon. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 12 months postoperatively. Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures were radiographic union and functional status of the limb (DASH score and MEPI score). Results: All patients achieved radiographic union of fracture as well as the osteotomy. The mean DASH score as measured on the final follow-up was 12.6 ± 10.2 and the mean MEPI score was 90 ± 8.2. None of the cases needed reoperation. Conclusion: Consistently good functional outcomes can be obtained in complex coronal shear fractures by posterior approach with olecranon osteotomy. Dubberley type 3b patients should undergo additional plate fixation.

Does the residual displacement of pelvic ring affect the functional outcome in pelvic ring injures?

PURPOSE: The effects of residual displacement on the functional outcome of the patient are not distinctly known and the acceptability criteria of residual displacement of the pelvic ring remain disputed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of residual displacement on functional outcome in pelvic ring injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 49 patients with pelvic ring injuries (both operative and non-operative) were followed up for six months. Anteroposterior (AP), Vertical and rotational displacements were measured at admission, after surgery and at six months. Resultant displacement (vector addition of AP and vertical displacement) was taken for comparison. Displacement was graded as excellent, good, fair and poor according to Matta's criteria. Functional outcome assessment was done at six months using Majeed score. Work adjusted Majeed score was calculated for non-working patients by taking the percentage score. RESULTS: We compared the means of residual displacement with functional outcome (Excellent/Good/Fair) and found that there was no significant difference between the groups in operative (P=0.33) or non-operative patients (P=0.09). This showed that patients with relatively higher residual displacement also had satisfactory functional outcomes. The functional outcomes were compared after dividing the residual displacement into 2 groups: <10 mm and >10 mm and no significant difference was found in outcomes for either operative or non-operative patients. CONCLUSION: Up to 10 mm of residual displacement is acceptable in pelvic ring injuries. More prospective studies with a longer follow up are needed for determination of correlation between reduction and functional outcome.

Management of ipsilateral trifocal fracture of the radius-a case report.

Introduction: Diaphyseal forearm fractures are commonly seen in clinical practice. However, segmental forearm fractures are relatively rare. We hereby present a case of surgical management of trifocal fracture of radius (mid-shaft of radius, distal end of radius and neck of radius fracture) with ipsilateral shaft ulna fracture. Case report: A middle aged patient with ulnar shaft fracture and trifocal radius fracture was managed surgically with open reduction and internal fixation of all four fractures. The ulna was addressed first, to achieve alignment, followed by distal radius and shaft radius fixation through the same incision. A separate incision was used to address radial neck fracture. Conclusion: A trifocal radius fracture with ulna shaft fracture has been rarely reported in the literature. Prompt surgical management of the complex fracture led to rapid and satisfactory recovery and good functional outcome for our patient.