Correlation of Body Composition and Low Back Pain Severity in a Cross-Section of US Veterans.

Objective: Back pain is more prevalent in the obese, but whether back pain severity is directly correlated to obesity in veterans is unknown. We sought to determine if there was a correlation between body composition and low back pain severity in a sample of veterans. The hypothesis was that veterans with higher body mass index values would report higher low back pain severity scores.

Best Practices for Chiropractic Care for Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Consensus Update.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to update evidence-based recommendations on the best practices for chiropractic care of older adults.

Methods: The project consisted of a systematic literature review and a consensus process. The following were searched from October 2009 through January 2016: MEDLINE, Index to Chiropractic Literature, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine Database), Alt HealthWatch, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Registry of Controlled Trials.

A Placebo-Controlled Double-Blinded Randomized Pilot Study of Combination Phytotherapy in Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer.

Background: Men with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer following local therapies often use natural supplements in an attempt to delay metastases and/or avoid the need for more aggressive treatments with undesirable side-effects. While there is a growing body of research into phytotherapeutic agents in this cohort, with some promising results, as yet no definitive recommendations can be made. This pilot study was undertaken to assess the feasibility of a fully-powered study to examine the effects of this phytotherapeutic intervention (containing turmeric, resveratrol, green tea and broccoli sprouts) on PSA doubling time in men with biochemical recurrence with a moderate PSA rise rate.

A non-ionizing technique for three-dimensional measurement of the lumbar spine.

Comprehensive assessments of scoliotic deformity and spinal instability require repetitive three-dimensional (3D) measurements of motion segments at different functional postures. However, accurate 3D measurement of the spine is a challenging task. In this paper, we present a novel, non-invasive, non-ionizing technique to quantify 3D poses of lumbar motion segments in terms of clinically meaningful anatomical coordinates.

Associations among measures of energy balance related behaviors and psychosocial determinants in urban upper elementary school children.

Background: Childhood obesity prevention is a pressing issue. Understanding the relationships among eating and physical activity behaviors and potential psychosocial determinants of behavior will help us design more effective interventions. This study aimed to examine such relationships in a large sample of urban elementary school children.

A Guideline of Selecting and Reporting Intraclass Correlation Coefficients for Reliability Research.

Objective: Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) is a widely used reliability index in test-retest, intrarater, and interrater reliability analyses. This article introduces the basic concept of ICC in the content of reliability analysis.

Discussion For Researchers: There are 10 forms of ICCs.

Retrospective Demographic Analysis of Patients Seeking Care at a Free University Chiropractic Clinic.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the demographics, presenting complaints, and health history of new patients seeking treatment at a free chiropractic clinic within a university health center.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patient files from 2008 to 2009 was performed for a free student chiropractic clinic in the Buffalo, NY, area. Demographics, presenting complaints, and health history of new patients seeking treatment were recorded.

Hierarchical CT to Ultrasound Registration of the Lumbar Spine: A Comparison with Other Registration Methods.

Three-dimensional (3D) measurement of the spine can provide important information for functional, developmental, diagnostic, and treatment-effect evaluations. However, existing measurement techniques are either 2-dimensional, highly invasive, or involve a high radiation dose, prohibiting their widespread and repeated use in both research and clinical settings. Non-invasive, non-ionizing, 3D measurement of the spine is still beyond the current state-of-the-art.

Deconstructing Chronic Low Back Pain in the Older Adult-Step by Step Evidence and Expert-Based Recommendations for Evaluation and Treatment. Part VI: Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

Objective: . To present the sixth in a series of articles designed to deconstruct chronic low back pain (CLBP) in older adults. This article focuses on the evaluation and management of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), the most common condition for which older adults undergo spinal surgery.

Correlation of PROMIS Physical Function and Pain CAT Instruments With Oswestry Disability Index and Neck Disability Index in Spine Patients.

Study Design: A prospective and retrospective cross-sectional cohort analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to show that Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) computer adaptive testing (CAT) assessments for physical function and pain interference can be efficiently collected in a standard office visit and to evaluate these scores with scores from previously validated Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) providing evidence of convergent validity for use in patients with spine pathology.

Summary Of Background Data: Spinal surgery outcomes are highly variable, and substantial debate continues regarding the role and value of spine surgery.

Chiropractors' perception of occupational stress and its influencing factors: a qualitative study using responses to open-ended questions.

Background: Job stress and emotional exhaustion have been shown to have a negative impact on the helping professional. The development and causal relations of job stress and emotional exhaustion are rather unclear in the chiropractic profession. The objective of this study is to understand the main sources of occupational stress and emotional exhaustion among doctors of chiropractic.

Phytotherapeutic interventions in the management of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer: a systematic review of randomised trials.

Objective: To evaluate the evidence from randomised trials for the efficacy and safety of phytotherapeutic interventions in the management of biochemically recurrent (BCR) prostate cancer, indicated by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression, numbers progressing to/time to initiation of androgen-deprivation therapy or salvage therapy.

Patients And Methods: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), AMED (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO) and the Cochrane Library databases were searched. Clinical trials investigating phytotherapeutic interventions as dietary supplements or dietary components, including multi-component herbal formulations, in men with BCR prostate cancer were located.

Foot orthotics for low back pain: The state of our understanding and recommendations for future research.

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to evaluate the literature on the use of foot orthotics for low back pain and to make specific recommendations for future research.

Methods: Database searches were conducted using PubMed, EBSCO, GALE, Google Scholar, and clinicaltrials.gov.

Deconstructing Chronic Low Back Pain in the Older Adult--Step by Step Evidence and Expert-Based Recommendations for Evaluation and Treatment. Part V: Maladaptive Coping.

Objective: As part of a series of articles designed to deconstruct chronic low back pain (CLBP) in older adults, this article focuses on maladaptive coping--a significant contributor of psychological distress, increased pain, and heightened disability in older adults with CLBP.

Methods: A modified Delphi technique was used to develop a maladaptive coping algorithm and table providing the rationale for the various components of the algorithm. A seven-member content expert panel and a nine-member primary care panel were involved in the iterative development of the materials.

Integration of Chiropractic Services in Military and Veteran Health Care Facilities: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

This literature review examined studies that described practice, utilization, and policy of chiropractic services within military and veteran health care environments. A systematic search of Medline, CINAHL, and Index to Chiropractic Literature was performed from inception through April 2015. Thirty articles met inclusion criteria.

Spinal Manipulative Therapy for Chronic Lower Back Pain in Older Veterans: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Chronic lower back pain (CLBP) is problematic in older veterans. Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is commonly utilized for CLBP in older adults, yet there are few randomized placebo-controlled trials evaluating SMT.

Methods: The purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness of SMT to a sham intervention on pain (Visual Analogue Scale, SF-36 pain subscale), disability (Oswestry Disability Index), and physical function (SF-36 subscale, Timed Up and Go) by performing a randomized placebo-controlled trial at 2 Veteran Affairs Clinics.

Factors that influence muscle shear modulus during passive stretch.

Although elastography has been increasingly used for evaluating muscle shear modulus associated with age, sex, musculoskeletal, and neurological conditions, its physiological meaning is largely unknown. This knowledge gap may hinder data interpretation, limiting the potential of using elastography to gain insights into muscle biomechanics in health and disease. We derived a mathematical model from a widely-accepted Hill-type passive force-length relationship to gain insight about the physiological meaning of resting shear modulus of skeletal muscles under passive stretching, and validated the model by comparing against the ex-vivo animal data reported in our recent work (Koo et al.

The frequency and reliability of cortical activity using a novel strategy to present pressure pain stimulus over the lumbar spine.

Background: The blocked stimulus presentation strategy, in fMRI study designs, is an important means to study brain function related to a particular stimulus. Specifically, applying pressure stimuli perceived as painful to different anatomical regions has been used to improve our understanding of central sensitization, which is an important clinical phenomenon in chronic pain.

New Method: This paper introduces a novel MR-compatible device used to apply pressure pain stimuli to the lumbar spine of 13 subjects in the supine position.

Evaluation of a modified clinical prediction rule for use with spinal manipulative therapy in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Active Exercise Therapy (AET) have both demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of Chronic Lower Back Pain (CLBP). A Clinical Prediction Rule (CPR) for responsiveness to SMT has been validated in a heterogeneous lower back pain population; however there is a need to evaluate this CPR specifically for patients with CLBP, which is a significant source of disability.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Veteran Affairs and civilian outpatient clinics evaluating a modification of the original CPR (mCPR) in CLBP, eliminating acute low back pain and altering the specific types of SMT to improve generalizability.

The reliability of a novel magnetic resonance compatible electro-pneumatic device for delivering a painful pressure stimulus over the lumbar spine.

Background: Chronic lower back pain (CLBP) is a significant public health problem in the USA. The complexity of CLBP necessitates an assessment tool that can objectively evaluate the aspects of CLBP that lead to disability. Here we present a novel means by which to provide pressure stimuli to the lumbar spine through the use of an electro-pneumatic circuit that can be used in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to assess the cortical activity changes associated with CLBP.

Assessment of scoliotic deformity using spinous processes: comparison of different analysis methods of an ultrasonographic system.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of 5 analysis methods in quantifying scoliotic deformity, using the spatial positions of SP tips acquired by a custom-developed ultrasound-based system, with different curve fitting methods and angle metrics in terms of their correlation with Cobb angle, test-retest reliability, vulnerability to digitization errors, and accuracy of identifying end vertebrae and convexity direction.

Methods: Three spinal column dry bone specimens were randomly configured to 30 different scoliotic deformities. Raw spatial data of the SP tips were processed by the following 3 methods: (1) fifth-order polynomial fitting, (2) locally weighted polynomial regression (LOESS) with smoothing parameter (α) = .

Feasibility of using the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system in academic health centers: case series design on pain reduction after chiropractic care.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the utility of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) as a resource for collecting data on patient-reported outcomes (PRO) within academic health centers at a chiropractic college; and, to describe changes in PRO following pragmatic chiropractic care incorporating instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) on pain symptoms.

Methods: This was a pre-post intervention design without a control group (case series) involving 25 patients (14 females and 11 males; 40.5 ± 16.