Because back pain is a chronic condition for many patients, rheumatologists should increase their understanding of the common problems of the lumbar spine.
Fiscal Year 2022 ICD-10-CM Codes Now in Effect
New and updated FY22 diagnosis codes became effective for encounters on or after Oct. 1, 2021, including key updates for Sjögren syndrome and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.
Insights on the Diagnosis & Treatment of Low Back & Hip Pain
CHICAGO—Two experts presented insights on the diagnosis and treatment of low back and hip pain, including a refresher course on the mechanical structures involved, in Anatomy in a Day: Demystifying Low Back Pain and Lateral Hip Pain: New Patho-Anatomical Perspectives, a session at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. Low Back Pain Avoid using such terms…
Intensive Patient Education May Not Be Helpful for Acute Low Back Pain
Education with recommended first-line care may not improve pain outcomes in patients with acute low back pain. When comparing patients who received education with those who received professional consultation without information or advice, researchers found patient education was no more effective than placebo at reducing depression or incidence of chronic low back pain…
Are Bending & Lifting Associated with Lumbosacral Radiculopathy Syndrome?
Patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy syndrome (LRS) may wonder if physicality of their jobs contributed to the development of their symptoms. A recent systematic review sought to identify LRS work-related risk factors. Researchers found that bending and lifting of the trunk, both alone and in combination, may contribute to LRS…
Anxiety, Depression May Help Predict Outcome of Low Back Pain Treatment
NEW YORK (New York)—Patients with anxiety and depression may be less satisfied than other patients with their chronic low back pain (CLBP) treatments, new research suggests. “Patients with anxiety/depression symptoms experienced more pain severity and more pain-related functional, social, and emotional disability, and they were less satisfied with care, compared with the other groups,” the…
Anticonvulsants Unhelpful for Low Back Pain
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Solid evidence suggests that anticonvulsants provide no benefit for low back or lumbar radicular pain and a high risk of harm, researchers say. “We started the study because these drugs were increasingly being used for low back pain and radiating leg pain, without the support of strong evidence of effectiveness,” principal investigator…
Tips for Diagnosing & Treating Shoulder & Low Back Pain
SAN DIEGO—At two sports medicine talks at the 2017 ACR/ARHP 2017 Annual Meeting last November, two rheumatologists discussed shoulder impingement and low back pain. First, Andrew Concoff, MD, a rheumatology and sports medicine specialist at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif., gave these five shoulder impingement tips: Physical exams may not be very useful…
Exercise May Help Prevent Low Back Pain or Make It Less Severe
(Reuters Health)—People who exercise may lower their odds of developing low back pain or may reduce the intensity of back pain they do experience, a research review suggests. Compared to people who didn’t exercise, those who did were 33% less likely to develop low back pain, the analysis of data from 16 previously published studies…
Infiltrating the Disc: Mast Cells & Back Pain
Mast cells may become a therapeutic target for low back pain, according to new research. Researchers found mast cells can infiltrate intervertebral disc cells and play a role in their degeneration. Specifically, mast cells and the cytokine, IL-6, were both more likely to be found in painful intervertebral discs surgically removed from patients than in control discs…