The value of electrodiagnostic consultation for patients with upper extremity nerve complaints: a prospective comparison with the history and physical examination.

Objectives: To determine whether electrodiagnostic testing changes diagnostic certainty compared with a detailed history and physical examination, and whether interactions between medical information, the extent of testing, and diagnostic certainty imply a need for advanced medical knowledge on the part of the tester.

Design: Prospective observation.

Setting: University orthopedic department and small community hospital electrodiagnostic laboratories.

Outpatient planning for persons with physical disabilities: a randomized prospective trial of physiatrist alone versus a multidisciplinary team.

The purposes of this study were to assess the effect of adding a physiatrist to the usual community management of persons with complex disabilities, and to determine whether there were differences in decision making and patient outcome between evaluations by a physiatrist alone or with a multidisciplinary team in this population. Consecutively referred patients with functional complaints in two of the following areas, mobility, activities of daily living, emotions and cognition, work, or social support, were randomly assigned to a multidisciplinary outpatient team evaluation or physiatrist evaluation in an office setting. Forty persons, 21 team and 19 office, served as subjects.

Paraspinal mapping. Quantified needle electromyography of the paraspinal muscles in persons without low back pain.

Study Design: This was a case series with intervention performed by masked investigators.

Objectives: To determine values for normal subjects on quantified needle electromyography of the paraspinal muscles compared with a previous sample of patients with clear evidence of radiculopathy.

Summary Of Background Data: Diagnosis of radicular back pain is difficult, even with modern imaging studies, partly due to the large percentage of imaging abnormalities in asymptomatic persons.

Patient-oriented rehabilitation planning in a single visit: first-year review of the Quick Program.

Persons who are geographically remote or do not qualify for inpatient rehabilitation have limited access to an effective multidisciplinary rehabilitation team. We present an innovative evaluation tool called the Quick Program. This multidisciplinary outpatient assessment involves a previsit database, therapy and physiatrist evaluations, a team meeting, and a patient-family meeting in a one-half day visit.

Paraspinal mapping: quantified needle electromyography in lumbar radiculopathy.

In the diagnosis of low back pain, the presence of a high percentage of false positive findings on radiologic imaging studies has lead to a more definitive role for electrodiagnosis as a confirmatory test. The paraspinal muscles are a crucial part of the electrodiagnostic examination for radiculopathy. To date, no technique for paraspinal evaluation has been validated.