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Low Back Pain

New WHO Guideline on Chronic LBP: Global Impact

By |November 7, 2024|Guidelines, Low Back Pain|

New WHO Guideline on Chronic LBP: Global Impact
World Health Organization Guideline:
Yes to Chiropractic; No to Most Drugs

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   Dynamic Chiropractic ~ February 2024



WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • “Spinal manipulative therapy” which includes chiropractic, is among the interventions the guideline recommends for all adults, including older adults.

  • The chiropractic profession was represented by several noted DCs in all aspects of development and review.

  • Within the short list of recommended interventions, most DCs provide at least three. Thus, it is not hard to conclude that doctors of chiropractic should be the first choice for chronic low-back pain management.


On Dec. 7, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its “Guideline for Non-Surgical Management of Chronic Primary Low Back Pain in Adults in Primary and Community Care Settings.” [1] The purpose of the 244-page document is to “provide evidence-based recommendations on nonsurgical interventions for chronic primary LBP in adults” that will improve outcomes. “Spinal manipulative therapy” which includes chiropractic, is among the interventions the guideline recommends for all adults, including older adults.

The guideline reviews both the benefits and the harms of nonsurgical interventions in the management of chronic primary LBP. In addition to spinal manipulative therapy, the guideline is also in favor of structured exercise, acupuncture, massage, NSAIDs and topical cayenne pepper (Capsicum frutescens).

NSAIDs continue to be the only recommended pharmacotherapy. Among the medication interventions the guideline recommends against are opioids, antidepressants (tricyclic, serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor), skeletal muscle relaxants, injectable local anaesthetics and pharmacological weight-loss medications.

Acetaminophen, benzodiazepines and cannabis-related pharmaceutical preparations received “no recommendation,” while listing potential harmful effects including “cardiovascular, renal and gastrointestinal harms and increased mortality risk” for acetaminophen; “potential harms including memory impairment, misuse, overdose deaths from respiratory depression, somnolence, fatigue and light-headedness potentially leading to falls” for benzodiazepines; and “evidence of possible adverse events, including harms associated with its nonmedicinal use” for cannabis-related pharmaceutical preparations.

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Development, Validation and Use of Custom Software for the Analysis of Pain Trajectories

By |August 18, 2024|Low Back Pain, Trajectories of Back Pain|

Development, Validation and Use of Custom Software for the Analysis of Pain Trajectories

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   Sci Rep 2024 (Aug 12); 14 (1): 18719

  OPEN ACCESS   

M. R. van Ittersum • A. de Zoete • M. Rubinstein • Al-Madfai
A. Kongsted • P. McCarthy

Chiropractie Groesbeek,
Nijmeegsebaan 32, 6561 KG,
Groesbeek, The Netherlands.



In chronic musculoskeletal conditions, the prognosis tends to be more informative than the diagnosis for the future course of the disease. Many studies have identified clusters of patients who seemingly share similar pain trajectories. In a dataset of low back pain (LBP) patients, pain trajectories have been identified, and distinct trajectory types have been defined, making it possible to create pattern recognition software that can classify patients into respective pain trajectories reflecting their condition. It has been suggested that the classification of pain trajectories may create clinically meaningful subgroups of patients in an otherwise heterogeneous population of patients with LBP. A software tool was created that combined the ability to recognise the pain trajectory of patients with a system that could create subgroups of patients based on their characteristics. This tool is primarily meant for researchers to analyse trends in large heterogeneous datasets without large losses of data. Prospective analysis of pain trajectories is not directly helpful for clinicians. However, the tool might aid in the identification of patient characteristics which have predictive capabilities of the most likely trajectory a patient might experience in the future. This will help clinicians to tailor their advice and treatment for a specific patient.

Subject terms:   Data mining, Chronic pain, Prognosis


From the FULL TEXT Article:

Introduction

In chronic musculoskeletal diseases, diagnosis alone is often insufficient to inform patients and clinicians about the future course of the disease. [1] Most chronic musculoskeletal diseases, such as low back pain (LBP), are caused by a complex combination of biological, psychological, social, and genetic factors that influence the course of the disease. [2] It is therefore argued that prognosis, which considers all of these elements, might be a better framework to inform patients and clinicians about the likely course of the disease. [1]

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MRI Findings of Disc Degeneration are More Prevalent in Adults with Low Back Pain than in Asymptomatic Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

By |June 26, 2024|Low Back Pain, Radiology|

MRI Findings of Disc Degeneration are More Prevalent in Adults with Low Back Pain than in Asymptomatic Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2015 (Dec)

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W. Brinjikji • F.E. Diehn • Jarvik
C.M. Carr • Murad • P.H. Luetmera

Department of Neurological Surgery and Health Services,
Comparative Effectiveness Cost and Outcomes Research Center (J.G.J.)
Department of Radiology (J.G.J.),
University of Washington,
Seattle, Washington.



Background and purpose:   Imaging features of spine degeneration are common in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. We compared the prevalence of MR imaging features of lumbar spine degeneration in adults 50 years of age and younger with and without self-reported low back pain.

Materials and methods:   We performed a meta-analysis of studies reporting the prevalence of degenerative lumbar spine MR imaging findings in asymptomatic and symptomatic adults 50 years of age or younger. Symptomatic individuals had axial low back pain with or without radicular symptoms. Two reviewers evaluated each article for the following outcomes: disc bulge, disc degeneration, disc extrusion, disc protrusion, annular fissures, Modic 1 changes, any Modic changes, central canal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and spondylolysis. The meta-analysis was performed by using a random-effects model.

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Association Between Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation and Cauda Equina Syndrome in Adults With Low Back Pain: Retrospective Cohort Study of US Academic Health Centers

By |March 17, 2024|Cauda Equina Syndrome, Low Back Pain|

Association Between Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation and Cauda Equina Syndrome in Adults With Low Back Pain: Retrospective Cohort Study of US Academic Health Centers

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   PLoS One 2024 (Mar 11); 19 (3): e0299159
Robert J. Trager • Anthony N. Baumann • Jaime A. Perez
Jeffery A. Dusek • Romeo-Paolo T. Perfecto • Christine M. Goertz

Connor Whole Health,
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center,
Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.



Background:   Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a lumbosacral surgical emergency that has been associated with chiropractic spinal manipulation (CSM) in case reports. However, identifying if there is a potential causal effect is complicated by the heightened incidence of CES among those with low back pain (LBP). The study hypothesis was that there would be no increase in the risk of CES in adults with LBP following CSM compared to a propensity-matched cohort following physical therapy (PT) evaluation without spinal manipulation over a three-month follow-up period.

Methods:   A query of a United States network (TriNetX, Inc.) was conducted, searching health records of more than 107 million patients attending academic health centers, yielding data ranging from 20 years prior to the search date (July 30, 2023). Patients aged 18 or older with LBP were included, excluding those with pre-existing CES, incontinence, or serious pathology that may cause CES.
Patients were divided into two cohorts:

(1)   LBP patients receiving CSM or
(2)   LBP patients receiving PT evaluation without spinal manipulation.

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Association Between Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Lumbar Spine Reoperation After Discectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

By |February 18, 2024|Failed Back Surgery Syndrome, Low Back Pain, Lumbosacral Radiculopathy|

Association Between Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Lumbar Spine Reoperation After Discectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2024 (Jan 10); 25 (1): 46
Robert J. Trager, Jordan A. Gliedt Collin M. Labak,Clinton J. Daniels, and Jeffery A. Dusek

Connor Whole Health,
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center,
Cleveland, OH, USA.



Background:   Patients who undergo lumbar discectomy may experience ongoing lumbosacral radiculopathy (LSR) and seek spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) to manage these symptoms. We hypothesized that adults receiving SMT for LSR at least one year following lumbar discectomy would be less likely to undergo lumbar spine reoperation compared to matched controls not receiving SMT, over two years’ follow-up.

Methods:   We searched a United States network of health records (TriNetX, Inc.) for adults aged ≥ 18 years with LSR and lumbar discectomy ≥ 1 year previous, without lumbar fusion or instrumentation, from 2003 to 2023. We divided patients into two cohorts: (1) chiropractic SMT, and (2) usual care without chiropractic SMT. We used propensity matching to adjust for confounding variables associated with lumbar spine reoperation (e.g., age, body mass index, nicotine dependence), calculated risk ratios (RR), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and explored cumulative incidence of reoperation and the number of SMT follow-up visits.

Results:   Following propensity matching there were 378 patients per cohort (mean age 61 years). Lumbar spine reoperation was less frequent in the SMT cohort compared to the usual care cohort (SMT: 7%; usual care: 13%), yielding an RR (95% CIs) of 0.55 (0.35-0.85; P = 0.0062). In the SMT cohort, 72% of patients had ≥ 1 follow-up SMT visit (median = 6).

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Global, Regional, and National Burden of Low Back Pain, 1990–2020, Its Attributable Risk Factors,
and Projections to 2050: A Systematic Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

By |May 24, 2023|Global Burden of Disease, Global Spine Care Initiative, Low Back Pain|

Global, Regional, and National Burden of Low Back Pain, 1990–2020, Its Attributable Risk Factors, and Projections to 2050: A Systematic Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   Lancet Rheumatology 2023 (May 23); 5 (6): E316-E329
Manuela L Ferreira, Katie de Luca, Lydia M Haile, Jaimie D Steinmetz, Garland T Culbreth, et al.

Faculty of Medicine and Health,
Institute of Bone and Joint Research,
The Kolling Institute, Northern Clinical School,
University of Sydney,
Sydney, NSW 2064, Australia.



Background   Low back pain is highly prevalent and the main cause of years lived with disability (YLDs). We present the most up-to-date global, regional, and national data on prevalence and YLDs for low back pain from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021.

Methods   Population-based studies from 1980 to 2019 identified in a systematic review, international surveys, US medical claims data, and dataset contributions by collaborators were used to estimate the prevalence and YLDs for low back pain from 1990 to 2020, for 204 countries and territories. Low back pain was defined as pain between the 12th ribs and the gluteal folds that lasted a day or more; input data using alternative definitions were adjusted in a network meta-regression analysis. Nested Bayesian meta-regression models were used to estimate prevalence and YLDs by age, sex, year, and location. Prevalence was projected to 2050 by running a regression on prevalence rates using Socio-demographic Index as a predictor, then multiplying them by projected population estimates.

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