The role of sensory parameters in predicting clinical outcome after lumbar discectomy

Background: Lumbar discectomy is considered a safe, efficacious and cost-effective treatment for selected cases of patients with leg pain associated with the presence of a disc protrusion. But despite technically successful surgery, 30 % of patients complain of persistent pain on long-term follow up. Identification of possible predictors for a negative outcome is important, in the search for appropriate pre- and/or post-operative care and prevention of persistent disability. There is some evidence in the literature that quantitative sensory testing (QST) measures may play a role in prediction of patients’ pain persistency, however, this has never been investigated in patients undergoing lumbar discectomy. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the predictive value of QST parameters, in combination with previously documented predictor variables such as medical/psychological/cognitive behavioural factors, in patients with lumbar radiculopathy and/or radicular pain, for predicting patients’ clinical outcome after lumbar discectomy. Method: Participants with radiculopathy and/or radicular pain and confirmed imaging diagnosis of nerve root compression will be recruited from the elective surgery waitlist at one hospital. All participants will undergo lumbar discectomy performed by one neurosurgeon. A standardized QST protocol comprising all of the somatosensory sub-modalities that are mediated by different primary afferents (C-, Aδ-, Aβ-) will be performed prior to surgery. QST will be conducted in the patients’ main pain area and contralateral side, in the affected dermatome and at a remote control site. The presence of other predictor variables will be captured by questionnaires. Follow-up at 3 months will include QST and measurements of pain intensity, pain descriptors, functional status, health related quality of life, return to work and health care utilisation. A further 1-year follow-up will include the same measurements except QST. Results/Conclusions: Identification of new predictor variables may assist in the development of pre-surgical screening methods and in targeted pre- and/or post-operative patient care, with the potential to improve patients’ functional status, quality of life, work capacity whilst also reducing health care costs associated with persistent disability

Recommendations for terminology and the identification of neuropathic pain in people with spine-related leg pain. Outcomes from the NeuPSIG working group

Pain radiating from the spine into the leg is commonly referred to as “sciatica,” “Sciatica” may include various conditions such as radicular pain or painful radiculopathy. It may be associated with significant consequences for the person living with the condition, imposing a reduced quality of life and substantial direct and indirect costs. The main challenges associated with a diagnosis of “sciatica” include those related to the inconsistent use of terminology for the diagnostic labels and the identification of neuropathic pain. These challenges hinder collective clinical and scientific understanding regarding these conditions. In this position paper, we describe the outcome of a working group commissioned by the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group (NeuPSIG) of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) which was tasked with the following objectives: (1) to revise the use of terminology for classifying spine-related leg pain and (2) to propose a way forward on the identification of neuropathic pain in the context of spine-related leg pain. The panel recommended discouraging the term “sciatica” for use in clinical practice and research without further specification of what it entails. The term “spine-related leg pain” is proposed as an umbrella term to include the case definitions of somatic referred pain and radicular pain with and without radiculopathy. The panel proposed an adaptation of the neuropathic pain grading system in the context of spine-related leg pain to facilitate the identification of neuropathic pain and initiation of specific management in this patient population

Neurodynamik – Was wissen wir heute?

Zusammenfassung</jats:title><jats:p>Wir kennen neurodynamische Tests und Behandlungsmethoden, nutzen diese alltäglich in der Praxis und gehen auf Kurse, um mehr darüber zu lernen. Aber was verstehen wir tatsächlich darunter? Kommen wir in unserem Verständnis darüber auf einen gemeinsamen Nenner? Dieser Artikel gibt einen Einblick in die Thematik Neurodynamik. Bisherige Überzeugungen stehen dabei auf dem Prüfstand

Nervenkompressionssyndrome – eine aktuelle Betrachtung von Pathophysiologie, klinischer Untersuchung und Management

Zusammenfassung Nervenkompressionssyndrome („Engpass-Syndrome“) wie Karpaltunnelsyndrom, Radikulopathien oder radikulärer Schmerz sind die häufigsten peripheren Nervenläsionen und auch die häufigste Ursache für neuropathischen Schmerz. Trotz ihrer hohen Prävalenz stellen sie diagnostisch und therapeutisch weiterhin oft eine klinische Herausforderung dar. Die vorliegende Übersicht bietet aktuelle Informationen zur Ätiologie und Pathophysiologie von Nervenkompressionssyndromen; dafür wird die Evidenz aus präklinischen wie auch klinischen Studien zusammengefasst. Mögliche Mechanismen werden in den Kontext klinischer Befunde gestellt. Das aktuelle diagnostische Vorgehen wird erörtert, diagnostische Fallstricke werden beleuchtet. Zuletzt fasst der Beitrag die Evidenz für die nichtinvasive und chirurgische Therapie häufiger Nervenkompressionssyndrome zusammen und zeigt zukünftige Forschungsbereiche auf. Entrapment neuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathies, or radicular pain are the most common peripheral neuropathies and also the most common cause for neuropathic pain. Despite their high prevalence, they often remain challenging to diagnose and manage in a clinical setting. Summarising the evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies, this review provides an update on the aetiology and pathophysiology of entrapment neuropathies. Potenzial mechanisms are put in perspective with clinical findings. The contemporary assessment is discussed and diagnostic pitfalls highlighted. The evidence for the noninvasive and surgical management of common entrapment neuropathies is summarised and future areas of research are identified

Neurodynamik – Was wissen wir heute?

Wir kennen neurodynamische Tests und Behandlungsmethoden, nutzen diese alltäglich in der Praxis und gehen auf Kurse, um mehr darüber zu lernen. Aber was verstehen wir tatsächlich darunter? Kommen wir in unserem Verständnis darüber auf einen gemeinsamen Nenner? Dieser Artikel gibt einen Einblick in die Thematik Neurodynamik. Bisherige Überzeugungen stehen dabei auf dem Prüfstand

Entrapment neuropathies: challenging common beliefs with novel evidence

Entrapment neuropathies are the most prevalent type of peripheral neuropathy and often a challenge to diagnose and treat. To a large extent, our current knowledge is based on empirical concepts and early (often biomechanical) studies. This Viewpoint will challenge some of the current beliefs with recent advances in both basic and clinical neurosciences. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2018;48(2):58-62. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.0603

Entrapment neuropathies: a contemporary approach to pathophysiology, clinical assessment, and management

Entrapment neuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathies, or radicular pain are the most common peripheral neuropathies and also the most common cause for neuropathic pain. Despite their high prevalence, they often remain challenging to diagnose and manage in a clinical setting. Summarising the evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies, this review provides an update on the aetiology and pathophysiology of entrapment neuropathies. Potential mechanisms are put in perspective with clinical findings. The contemporary assessment is discussed and diagnostic pitfalls highlighted. The evidence for the noninvasive and surgical management of common entrapment neuropathies is summarised and future areas of research are identified. Entrapment neuropathies are a heterogenous condition reflecting distinct underlying pathomechanisms. A contemporary assessment aimed at identifying potential mechanisms may help target management for these patients

Entrapment neuropathies: a contemporary approach to pathophysiology, clinical assessment, and management

Entrapment neuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathies, or radicular pain are the most common peripheral neuropathies and also the most common cause for neuropathic pain. Despite their high prevalence, they often remain challenging to diagnose and manage in a clinical setting. Summarising the evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies, this review provides an update on the aetiology and pathophysiology of entrapment neuropathies. Potential mechanisms are put in perspective with clinical findings. The contemporary assessment is discussed and diagnostic pitfalls highlighted. The evidence for the noninvasive and surgical management of common entrapment neuropathies is summarised and future areas of research are identified

A statistical assessment on the stochastic relationship between biomarker concentrations and environmental exposures

[[abstract]]Biological monitoring has gradually developed into a powerful tool in the identification and quantification of exposures to occupational and/or environmental hazards in environmental and occupational health studies. Aggregate individual exposure to pollutants and evidence for exploring dose-response relationship in the human bodies can be assessed through biomarker measurements. The existence of inter-individual differences among a study population, however, often hampers the relationship assessment between exposure and the biomarker. In this paper, a statistical random effects model identified from a simplified one-compartment pharmacokinetic model is applied to establish the dynamic relationship between a biomarker and its corresponding external exposure. This model avoids the complex parameter estimation problem encountered using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model, and incorporates inter-individual variations often ignored in the usual regression approach. In addition, the relevant parameters for the generic kinetic process can be estimated directly. As a guideline for preliminary sampling strategy, tables of required sample sizes and the number of repeated measurements to achieve the desired statistical power and test efficiency are given. The currently established biological exposure indices (BEIs) for benzene and methyl chloroform are employed to illustrate the impact of inter-individual variations on the percentages of protection for workers exposed to the threshold limit value (TLV) of the corresponding chemical