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Dr. Stephen Ferguson, MEM Research Center for Orthopedic Surgery, Institute for Surgical Technology and Biomechanics, University of Bern Non-invasive spinal motion analysis in the treatment of back pain | ||||
| Back pain is one of the most frequent, debilitating and costly health care issues facing western society. It has been estimated that there is a 50 – 85% chance of a person developing low back pain within their lifetime and at any given time, 14 - 42% of the population suffers from this condition. There is evidence of a biomechanical origin of back pain; i.e. back pain is associated with abnormal spinal posture and motion. However, the link between an individual patient’s spinal anatomy, spinal motion patterns and the resulting back pain has not been clearly established, and effective methods of identifying at-risk patients and choosing appropriate treatment strategies must be further developed. Current methods for the analysis of spinal motion are limited to conventional radiographs taken during individual static postures. Results... | ||||
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PD Dr. med. Peter Jüni, Insitut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin, Universität Bern Pain management in osteoarthritis: Network meta-analysis | ||||
| A multiplicity of drugs is used for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis. Guidelines recommend paracetamol (e.g. Panadol®) as the first line drug, but until recently only a small number of trials was available to support its effectiveness. Recent trials suggest that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac (e.g. Voltaren®) or naproxen (e.g. Apranax®) may be superior to paracetamol, but at the cost of increased rates of adverse events. Novel COX-2 selective anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Vioxx® or Celebrex®, have been increasingly used, but it is unclear whether these preparations are safer than traditional preparations. Results... | ||||
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Dr. med. Sven Trelle Meta-Base: Developing a data management software for systematic reviews and meta-analyses | ||||
| Carefully conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses are the gold standard for establishing the effects of interventions. Consequently, they have to be performed in the same rigorous and systematic manner as clinical studies. The process of performing a systematic review and meta-analysis is complex. Usually, several people are involved and large amounts of data have to be managed. Database systems have the potential to help reviewers to manage the review process and to minimize errors. Results... | ||||
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Prof. Dr. Wolf Langewitz, Abteilung Psychosomatik, Innere Medizin, Kantonsspital Basel On the evaluation of a group therapy program für Turkish men and women with chronic pain | ||||
| People with little knowledge of German, who work in physically demanding jobs, and who earn little money have a high risk of developing a chronic pain disorder, far greater than the average Swiss population. Typical treatment programs address a western mind in a western body. They refer to patients who are able to read and write and are capable of referring to their thoughts and emotions. More than a third of Turkisch women who ask for a treatment of their chronic pain condition are illiterate. To them and to a lesser extent to Turkisch men it is extremely difficult to make the above quoted self-referential statements, which on the other hand form the essential part of a typical pain management program. Results... | ||||
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PD Dr. Anne Mannion, Schulthess Klinik, Zürich; PD Dr. Haiko Sprott, Rheumaklinik und Institut für Physikalische Medizin, UniversitätsSpital Zürich Ultrasound assessment of deep trunk muscle function in low back pain | ||||
| Low back pain (LBP) affects up to 80% of people at some point in their lives. Most people recover from a first episode within a few weeks. However, recurrences are common, and in some people (10-20%) the problem becomes long-lasting or «chronic» (cLBP).
There are many, widely varying treatments currently available for chronic, non-specific low back pain. Few of these treatments are successful in all patients, and one of the priorities in this challenging area of research concerns the question of «finding the right treatment for the right patient». Since the exact cause of the pain in a given individual often remains elusive, researchers are instead focusing on identifying patients who, on the basis of their medical history and functional and psychological status, best respond to a given type of treatment.
Dysfunction in the activation of the deep-lying trunk muscles is commonly observed in connection with LBP. It is believed to pose a threat to segmental stability and hence predispose to continuing/future episodes of pain. As such, «spine stabilisation exercises», aimed at restoring deep trunk muscle motor control, have become a popular concept in physiotherapy. Results... | ||||
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Prof. Dr. Peter Schulz, Facultà di Scienze della communicazione, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano Online enhanced self-management of cLBP (ONESELF) | ||||
| Patient information plays an important role in the management and treatment of a chronic pain condition like low back pain (cLBP). The way people deal with their subjective perception and manage their pain strongly depends on the kind of information that their doctors as well as their social environment (friends and relatives) and media (magazines and leaflets, television and internet) provide. Despite the huge amount of advice for patients how to approach their cLBP, there exists however, from the patient's point of view - an information gap between general knowledge on pain management on one side, and skills and understanding necessary to carry out related behaviours on the other side. Often, delivered information does not address specific difficulties of the patients. Results... | ||||
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PD Dr. Nicolas Theumann, Département de Radiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne Evaluation of muscular fat content using a new imaging method by MRI | ||||
| Chronic low back pain represents a major health challenge in western countries. Its origins are complex and include functional, biological, psychological and social elements. There is an urgent need to expand our knowledge of the relevant prognostic measures in the rehabilitation of chronic low back pain patients. Results... | ||||
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