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Bone & Joint Open
Vol. 5, Issue 7 | Pages 612 - 620
19 Jul 2024
Bada ES Gardner AC Ahuja S Beard DJ Window P Foster NE

Aims

People with severe, persistent low back pain (LBP) may be offered lumbar spine fusion surgery if they have had insufficient benefit from recommended non-surgical treatments. However, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2016 guidelines recommended not offering spinal fusion surgery for adults with LBP, except as part of a randomized clinical trial. This survey aims to describe UK clinicians’ views about the suitability of patients for such a future trial, along with their views regarding equipoise for randomizing patients in a future clinical trial comparing lumbar spine fusion surgery to best conservative care (BCC; the FORENSIC-UK trial).

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey was piloted by the multidisciplinary research team, then shared with clinical professional groups in the UK who are involved in the management of adults with severe, persistent LBP. The survey had seven sections that covered the demographic details of the clinician, five hypothetical case vignettes of patients with varying presentations, a series of questions regarding the preferred management, and whether or not each clinician would be willing to recruit the example patients into future clinical trials.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 94-B, Issue 2 | Pages 152 - 157
1 Feb 2012
Longo UG Loppini M Denaro L Maffulli N Denaro V

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are an increasing public health problem. Recently, randomised controlled trials on the use of kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty in the treatment of these fractures have been published, but no definitive conclusions have been reached on the role of these interventions. The major problem encountered when trying to perform a meta-analysis of the available studies for the use of cementoplasty in patients with a VCF is that conservative management has not been standardised. Forms of conservative treatment commonly used in these patients include bed rest, analgesic medication, physiotherapy and bracing.

In this review, we report the best evidence available on the conservative care of patients with osteoporotic VCFs and associated back pain, focusing on the role of the most commonly used spinal orthoses. Although orthoses are used for the management of these patients, to date, there has been only one randomised controlled trial published evaluating their value. Until the best conservative management for patients with VCFs is defined and standardised, no conclusions can be drawn on the superiority or otherwise of cementoplasty techniques over conservative management.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 93-B, Issue 7 | Pages 857 - 864
1 Jul 2011
Tsirikos AI Jain AK

This review of the literature presents the current understanding of Scheuermann’s kyphosis and investigates the controversies concerning conservative and surgical treatment. There is considerable debate regarding the pathogenesis, natural history and treatment of this condition. A benign prognosis with settling of symptoms and stabilisation of the deformity at skeletal maturity is expected in most patients. Observation and programmes of exercise are appropriate for mild, flexible, non-progressive deformities. Bracing is indicated for a moderate deformity which spans several levels and retains flexibility in motivated patients who have significant remaining spinal growth.

The loss of some correction after the completion of bracing with recurrent anterior vertebral wedging has been reported in approximately one-third of patients. Surgical correction with instrumented spinal fusion is indicated for a severe kyphosis which carries a risk of progression beyond the end of growth causing cosmetic deformity, back pain and neurological complications. There is no consensus on the effectiveness of different techniques and types of instrumentation. Techniques include posterior-only and combined anteroposterior spinal fusion with or without posterior osteotomies across the apex of the deformity. Current instrumented techniques include hybrid and all-pedicle screw constructs.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 92-B, Issue 2 | Pages 242 - 245
1 Feb 2010
Trollegaard AM Aarby NS Hellberg S

Between 1993 and 2008, 41 patients underwent total coccygectomy for coccydynia which had failed to respond to six months of conservative management. Of these, 40 patients were available for clinical review and 39 completed a questionnaire giving their evaluation of the effect of the operation. Excellent or good results were obtained in 33 of the 41 patients, comprising 18 of the 21 patients with coccydynia due to trauma, five of the eight patients with symptoms following childbirth and ten of 12 idiopathic onset. In eight patients the results were moderate or poor, although none described worse pain after the operation. The only post-operative complication was superficial wound infection which occurred in five patients and which settled fully with antibiotic treatment. One patient required re-operation for excision of the distal cornua of the sacrum.

Total coccygectomy offered satisfactory relief of pain in the majority of patients regardless of the cause of their symptoms.