Posture and low back pain during pregnancy — 3D study

Objectives: Back pain is a common complaint of pregnant women. The posture, curvatures of the spine and the center of gravity changes are considered as the mechanisms leading to pain. The study aimed to assess spinal curvatures and static postural characteristics with three-dimensional surface topography and search for relationships with the occurrence of back pain complaints among pregnant women. Material and methods: The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2014. Patients referred from University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics were examined outpatient at the Posture Study Unit of Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Sixty-five women at 4–39 weeks of pregnancy were assessed and surveyed with Oswestry Disability Index; posture was evaluated using surface topography. Results: The study confirmed that difficulties in sitting and standing are significant in the third trimester of the pregnancy. The overall tendency for significant lumbar curvature changes in pregnant women was not confirmed. Major changes in sagittal trunk inclination in relation to the plumb line were not observed in the study group. Conclusions: The issue regarding how the pregnancy causes changes in spinal curvature and posture remains open for further studies. Presented method of 3D surface topography can reveal postural changes, but that requires several exams of each subject and strict follow-up of the series of cases

Association of sports and physical activity with obesity among teenagers in Poland

Objectives The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between the body mass index and sports and physical activities in an unbiased, simple, random sample of teenagers from mid-northeastern Poland. Material and Methods Children and adolescents aged 10–19 years old were surveyed. The Internet-based survey was conducted to collect information on physical activity, leisure time, studying hours, weight, and height. Results Obesity was found to be low in the study population. The overall prevalence of overweight was not higher than 8%. Only 0.6% of participants were underweight. Overall, 68% of them confirmed participating in sports. Boys were frequently more active than girls (> 70% boys and > 60% girls). Participants mostly played soccer, volleyball, handball, or basketball (30.5%); 7% of them practiced martial arts and 16.5% of them participated in swimming. Sports activity significantly influenced body mass index. Obesity was not related to the lack of participation for physical activity in girls but a significant relationship was observed in boys (p < 0.02). The risk of obesity or overweight for inactive teenagers increased 2-fold (p < 0.01). Conclusions We report the overall participation of teenagers from 2 cities in mid-northeastern Poland in sports and physical activities and demonstrate that the lack of statistically significant differences in the body mass index and obesity and overweight is prevalent among boys and girls. Obesity was significantly related to less physical activity in boys, and the likelihood of obesity or overweight increased in inactive teenagers. Thus, we suggest that the importance of overweight and obesity prevention programs should be emphasized. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(6):771–78

Osteoarthritis Changes Hip Geometry and Biomechanics Regardless of Bone Mineral Density—A Quantitative Computed Tomography Study

We aimed to compare proximal femur geometry and biomechanics in postmenopausal women with osteoarthritis (OA) and/or osteoporosis (OP), using quantitative computed tomography (QCT). A retrospective analysis of QCT scans of the proximal femur of 175 postmenopausal women was performed. Morphometric and densitometric data of the proximal femur were used to evaluate its biomechanics. We found, 21 had a normal bone mineral density (BMD), 72 had osteopenia, and 81 were diagnosed with OP. Radiographic findings of hip OA were seen in 43.8%, 52.8%, and 39.5% of the normal BMD, osteopenic, and OP groups, respectively (p &lt; 0.05). OA was significantly correlated with total hip volume (r = 0.21), intertrochanteric cortical volume (r = 0.25), and trochanteric trabecular volume (r = 0.20). In each densitometric group, significant differences in hip geometry and BMD were found between the OA and non-OA subgroups. Hip OA and OP often coexist. In postmenopausal women, these diseases coexist in 40% of cases. Both OA and OP affect hip geometry and biomechanics. OA does so regardless of densitometric status. Changes are mostly reflected in the cortical bone. OA leads to significant changes in buckling ratio (BR) in both OP and non-OP women

Associations between Patient Report of Pain and Intervertebral Foramina Changes Visible on Axial-Loaded Lumbar Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The intervertebral foramen may influence spinal nerve roots and, therefore, be related to the corresponding dermatomal pain. In vivo evaluation of the intervertebral foramen–dermatome relationship is essential for understanding low back pain (LBP) pathophysiology. The study aimed to correlate the lumbar MRI unloaded-loaded foraminal area changes with dermatomal pain in the patient’s pain drawings. Dynamic changes of the dermatomal pain distribution related to the intervertebral foramen area changes between quantitative conventional supine MRI (unloaded MRI) and axial-loading MRI (alMRI) were analyzed. The MRI axial-loading intervertebral foramen area changes were observed, and the most significant effect of reducing the foraminal area (−6.9%) was reported at levels of L2–L3. The incidence of pain in the dermatomes increases linearly with the spine level, from 15.6% at L1 to 63.3% at L5 on the right and from 18.9% at L1 to 76.7% at L5 on the left. No statistically significant effect of changes in the intervertebral foramen area on the odds of pain along the respective dermatomes was confirmed. Changes in the foraminal area were observed between the unloaded and loaded phases, but differences in area changes between foramen assigned to painful dermatomes and foramen assigned to non-painful dermatomes were not significant

Experiences of the Telemedicine and eHealth Conferences in Poland—A Cross-National Overview of Progress in Telemedicine

The progress in telemedicine can be observed globally and locally. Technological changes in telecommunications systems are intertwined with developments in telemedicine. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the potential of teleconsultations and telediagnosis solutions in all areas of medicine. This article presents: (1) an overview of milestones in the development of telecommunications systems that allow progress in telemedicine and (2) an analysis of the experiences of the last seven conferences of telemedicine and eHealth in Poland. The telemedicine and eHealth conferences have grown steadily in Poland since their inception in the late 1990s. An exemplary conference program content was used to assess the scientific maturity of the conference, measured by the indices of research dissemination and the impact of publications. The overview presents progress in selected areas of telemedicine, looking at local developments and broader changes. The growing interest in telemedicine in the world’s medical sciences is demonstrated by visibility metrics in Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science. National scientific events are assumed to raise interest in the population and influence the creation of general policies. As seen in the example of Poland, the activity of the scientific community gathered around the Polish Telemedicine Society led to novel legal acts that allowed the general practice of telemedicine during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Local scientific conferences focusing on telemedicine research can be a catalyst for changes in attitudes and regulations and the preparation of recommendations for the practice of telemedicine and electronic health. On the basis of the results of this study, it can be concluded that the progress in telemedicine cannot be analyzed in isolation from the ubiquitous developments in technology and telecommunications. More research is needed to assess the cumulative impact of long-standing scientific conferences in telemedicine, as exemplified by the telemedicine and eHealth conferences in Poland

Experiences of the Telemedicine and eHealth Conferences in Poland&mdash;A Cross-National Overview of Progress in Telemedicine

The progress in telemedicine can be observed globally and locally. Technological changes in telecommunications systems are intertwined with developments in telemedicine. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the potential of teleconsultations and telediagnosis solutions in all areas of medicine. This article presents: (1) an overview of milestones in the development of telecommunications systems that allow progress in telemedicine and (2) an analysis of the experiences of the last seven conferences of telemedicine and eHealth in Poland. The telemedicine and eHealth conferences have grown steadily in Poland since their inception in the late 1990s. An exemplary conference program content was used to assess the scientific maturity of the conference, measured by the indices of research dissemination and the impact of publications. The overview presents progress in selected areas of telemedicine, looking at local developments and broader changes. The growing interest in telemedicine in the world&rsquo;s medical sciences is demonstrated by visibility metrics in Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science. National scientific events are assumed to raise interest in the population and influence the creation of general policies. As seen in the example of Poland, the activity of the scientific community gathered around the Polish Telemedicine Society led to novel legal acts that allowed the general practice of telemedicine during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Local scientific conferences focusing on telemedicine research can be a catalyst for changes in attitudes and regulations and the preparation of recommendations for the practice of telemedicine and electronic health. On the basis of the results of this study, it can be concluded that the progress in telemedicine cannot be analyzed in isolation from the ubiquitous developments in technology and telecommunications. More research is needed to assess the cumulative impact of long-standing scientific conferences in telemedicine, as exemplified by the telemedicine and eHealth conferences in Poland