Surgery

What Are Long-term Predictors of Outcomes for Lumbar Disc Herniation? A Randomized and Observational Study

Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2015 Jun;473(6):1920-30. doi: 10.1007/s11999-014-3803-7. Kerr D, Zhao W, Lurie JD. Abstract BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have illustrated improvements in surgical cohorts for patients with intervertebral disc herniation, there are limited data on predictors of long-term outcomes comparing surgical and nonsurgical outcomes. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We assessed outcomes of operative and nonoperative treatment for […]

Sympathetic Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain and Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Clinical Journal of Pain: Post Acceptance: May 08, 2015 doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000250 Sympathetic Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain and Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. El-Badawy, Mohja A. MD; El Mikkawy, Dalia M. E. MD Abstract Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is defined as pain that persists longer than 12 weeks and is often […]

Certain Knee Cartilage Changes Over Time Predict Replacement Need

5/14/15 Patients who underwent knee replacement exhibited less cartilage thickness at baseline and, over time, greater lateral and location-independent femorotibial cartilage loss than those who did not get replacement, researchers said. Furthermore, location-independent analysis of change in cartilage thickness predicted future knee replacement. These were among the findings of a U.S.-European prospective cohort study published […]

Adjacent Segment Pathology Requiring Reoperation After Anterior Cervical Arthrodesis: The Influence of Smoking, Sex, and Number of Operated Levels

Lee, Jae Chul MD; Lee, Sang-Hun MD; Peters, Colleen MA; Riew, K. Daniel MD Spine15 May 2015Vol. 40 – Issue 10: p E571–E577 Abstract Study Design. A retrospective study. Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine, using survivorship analysis, the rate of adjacent segment pathology (ASP) development and to identify the risk factors […]

Weight gain after TKA has negative association with pain, function scores

Mackie A, et al. J Arthroplasty. 2015;doi:10.1016/j.arth.2014.09.003. April 1, 2015 Weight gain after total knee arthroplasty had a negative association with SF-36 pain and function scores, according to study results. Researchers identified 1,545 patients who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and recorded BMI and patient-reported outcome measures preoperatively and for up to 3 years […]

Intradiscal Biacuplasty Bests Standard Back Pain Therapy

Nancy A. Melville March 26, 2015 NATIONAL HARBOR, MD — Intradiscal biacuplasty (IDB), a minimally invasive treatment for discogenic low back pain, provides reductions in pain and improvements in function superior to those seen with traditional measures of conventional therapy, according to a new study. “[While] intradiscal biacuplasty now has a robust body of literature supporting its […]

Early individualised manipulative rehabilitation following lumbar open laser microdiscectomy improves early post-operative functional disability

J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2015 Mar 19. [Epub ahead of print] Early individualised manipulative rehabilitation following lumbar open laser microdiscectomy improves early post-operative functional disability: A randomized, controlled pilot study. Kim BJ1, Ahn J2, Cho H3, Kim D3, Kim T1, Yoon BC4. Author information Abstract BACKGROUND: Lumbar open laser microdiscectomy has been shown to be an effective intervention and safe approach […]

Pain and functional outcomes worsen over time after TKA, study finds

Singh JA, et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014;doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-440. February 24, 2015 During a study period spanning 1993 to 2005, researchers observed a worsening of patient-reported function and pain outcomes after total knee arthroplasty. The researchers reviewed data for 7,229 patients from the Mayo Clinic Total Joint Registry who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between 1993 […]

The Impact of Obesity on Short- and Long-term Outcomes After Lumbar Fusion

De la Garza-Ramos Spine 01 January 2015 Vol. 40 – Issue 1: p 56–61 Study Design. Retrospective cohort study. Objective. To compare short- and long-term outcomes in obese versus nonobese patients undergoing instrumented posterolateral fusion of the lumbar spine. Summary of Background Data. Obesity is an important public health issue due to the negative effects […]

The Revision Rate and Occurrence of Adjacent Segment Disease After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

The Revision Rate and Occurrence of Adjacent Segment Disease After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Study of 672 Consecutive Patients van Eck, Carola F. MD Spine 15 December 2014 Vol. 39 – Issue 26: p 2143–2147 Abstract Study Design. Level III: retrospective cohort study. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the […]

C5 palsy after posterior cervical decompression and fusion: cost and quality-of-life implications

The Spine Journal December 1, 2014 Volume 14, Issue 12, Pages 2854–2860 Jacob A. Miller, BS Abstract Background context C5 palsy is a debilitating postoperative complication of cervical decompression surgery. Although the prognosis is typically good, patients may be unable to perform basic activities of daily living, resulting in a decreased quality of life. No […]

Knee Surgery Linked to Higher OA Risk

Published: Dec 4, 2014 By Ed Susman , Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Action Points Note that these studies were published as abstracts and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. CHICAGO — Individuals with knee pain who undergo surgery to repair meniscus […]

A structured physiotherapy treatment model can provide rapid relief to patients who qualify for lumbar disc surgery: a prospective cohort study

J Rehabil Med. 2014 Mar;46(3):233-40. doi: 10.2340/16501977-1255. Svensson GL, Wendt GK, Thomeé R. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a structured physiotherapy treatment model in patients who qualify for lumbar disc surgery. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. PATIENTS: Forty-one patients with lumbar disc herniation, diagnosed by clinical assessments and magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Patients followed a structured […]

Complications and Mortality in Cervical Spine Surgery: Racial Differences

Complications and Mortality in Cervical Spine Surgery: Racial Differences Skolasky, Richard L. ScD; Thorpe, Roland J. Jr PhD; Wegener, Stephen T. PhD; Riley, Lee H. III MD Spine 15 August 2014 Vol. 39 – Issue 18: p 1506–1512 Abstract Study Design. Retrospective national database analysis. Objective. Our goal was to estimate racial and ethnic differences […]

Knee Surgery: No Benefit for Those With Mild Osteoarthritis

Medscape Medical News Knee Surgery: No Benefit for Those With Mild Osteoarthritis Jennifer Garcia August 27, 2014 Arthroscopic surgery for middle-aged patients with degenerative meniscal tears and mild or no osteoarthritis provided no benefit when compared with nonoperative management, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis. These results were published online August 25 inCMAJ. The review […]

Incidence and risk factors for perioperative visual loss after spinal fusion

Sreeharsha V. Nandyala, BA The Spine Journal Volume 14, Issue 9, 1 September 2014, Pages 1866–1872 Abstract Background context Perioperative visual loss (POVL) is a rare but devastating complication that may follow spinal surgeries. The incidence of POVL after spinal fusion is not well characterized during the past decade. Purpose A population-based database was analyzed […]

Problems Persist For High-Profile Back Surgery

Dallas Morning News 11:05 PM on Aug 23, 2014 Christine Harrison suffered from a chronically sore back. Watching Fox & Friends one morning, she saw an interview with a doctor who promised “excellent pain relief” for people like her. The doctor was promoting North American Spine, a high-profile Dallas company, and its trademark AccuraScope surgery. “The way […]

Patients Scarred After Robotic Surgery – Video

CNBC.com Herb Greenberg | @herbgreenberg Friday, 19 Apr 2013 | 8:58 AM ET Story Source Shawn Todd, who lives just outside of Mobile, Ala., thought she was having a routine partial hysterectomy. For Sonya Melton of Birmingham, it was routine same-day gynecological surgery to treat uterine fibroids. And for Kimberly McCalla, just 24, it was […]

Pain Education Reduces Medical Costs for Back Surgery Patients [Video]

Guardian Liberty Voice August 18, 2014 Every year, Americans spend at least $50 billion on treating and caring for low back pain, which is the primary cause of job-related disability and missed work hours, according to the National Institute of Health. While back treatments, such as surgery, medicine, exercise, chiropractic care, and alternative health care, […]

High BMI, intensive physical activity increased risk of knee replacement

OrthopedicsToday August 18, 2014 Patients with osteoarthritis who had high body mass index and performed intensive physical activity at work experienced a higher risk of having a knee replacement, according to study results. Researchers prospectively followed 315,495 patients who underwent knee replacement and identified through the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register. Cox proportional hazard regression was used […]