Awareness of state legislation on naloxone accessibility associated with willingness to prescribe naloxone.

Background: Increasing rates of opioid-related deaths, state naloxone legislation changes, and negativity prompted investigation of predictive factors associated with willingness to prescribe naloxone to populations at risk of overdose, including knowledge of risk factors, assessment of persons at risk, awareness of legislative changes, perceptions of professional responsibility, and confidence around naloxone prescribing and distribution.

Methods: Cross-sectional, Web-based, anonymous, voluntary survey to prescribers of 2 regional health care systems serving urban and rural North Dakota, northern Minnesota, and northwestern Wisconsin. Human subject research was approved by university and health care systems' institutional review boards.

Graded group exercise and fear avoidance behavior modification in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Background: Approaches in the treatment of general chronic low back pain (CLBP) are multifaceted relative to specific interventions. In the past, passive interventions have commonly been employed with little evidence to support their effectiveness. Recent reviews suggest a focus on active exercises programs that includes pain education and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Reducing lost workdays after work-related injuries: the utilization of athletic trainers in a health system transitional work program.

Objective: To determine if an internal employee health program (IEHP), including transitional work, with early access to physical medicine and rehabilitation provided by athletic trainers, will reduce missed workdays following work-related injury.

Methods: A retrospective review of health system workers' compensation data were conducted for injuries sustained 23-month period preceding (PP) (N = 713) and following IEHP implementation (N = 661).

Results: Sixty-two PP and 128 IEHP events resulted in lost workdays (LWDs), P < 0.

Popliteomeniscal fascicle tears causing symptomatic lateral compartment knee pain: diagnosis by the figure-4 test and treatment by open repair.

Background: Injuries to the popliteomeniscal fascicles of the lateral meniscus are difficult to identify from physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging scans. To our knowledge, there have been no described physical examination techniques to identify symptomatic isolated popliteomeniscal fascicle tears. The popliteomeniscal fascicles have been demonstrated to be important for lateral meniscus stability, and it has been reported that tears can lead to painful symptoms.

Articular cartilage injuries of the knee: evaluation and treatment options.

Articular cartilage defects of the knee can be very debilitating, and diagnosis can be difficult because the symptoms are often nonspecific. Routine MRI scans, despite vast improvement in detection techniques, are often not sensitive or specific enough, especially for low-grade lesions. Therefore, articular cartilage injuries of the knee are often a diagnosis of exclusion requiring a thorough history, a good physical exam, and a high index of suspicion.