The aim of the study was to compare the effect ofwater-based exercise in thermal mineral water versus land-based exercise therapy on the lumbar spine range of motion and physical disability in adult ...patients with chronic low back pain. Out of 72 patients hospitalized for inpatient treatment in a special rehabilitation hospital, 36 patients performed a 3-week standardized program of group water-based exercises and the other 36 performed a program of group land-based exercises. All patients were also treated with electro analgesic therapy and underwater massage. The patients were assessed for lumbar spine motion using standardized measures with flexible tape, while physical disability was measured by the Physical Disability Index. Evaluations were performed at the beginning and at the end of treatment. Compared with baseline, a statistically significant improvement was detected in both groups regarding both primary outcome measures. At the end of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference between the two exercise treatments in any parameter of interest (p < 0.01). In conclusion, in our sample of patients with chronic low back pain, exercise treatment improved lumbar motion and decreased the level of physical disability. However, comparison of land-based exercises and water-based exercises in thermal mineral water did not demonstrate any significantly different result.
To explore the relationship between muscle strength and bone density in patients with different rheumatic diseases and to examine whether inflammatory arthritis was more harmful for muscle strength ...and bone loss than degenerative joint diseases.
The study included 361 men and women with a mean±standard deviation age of 60.5±11.4 years and different rheumatic conditions: regional syndromes, osteoarthritis of the hands, shoulders, knees, and hips, and inflammatory arthritis. Maximum voluntary back strength was measured by isometric dynamometry. Bone mineral density (BMD; g/cm2) of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and distal radius was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Anthropometry and lifestyle characteristics were also assessed.
Back strength was lowest in patients with hand and shoulder osteoarthritis (20.0±17.9 kg), followed by patients with inflammatory arthritis (24.8±19.2 kg). Patients with inflammatory arthritis had the lowest BMD at the mid-radius (0.650±0.115 g/cm2) and femoral neck (0.873±0.137 g/cm2), while patients with hand and shoulder osteoarthritis had the lowest BMD at the mid-radius (0.660±0.101). In both sexes, muscle strength was significantly lower in patients who had lower BMD (T score<-1.0). Multiple regression analysis identified significant predictors of back strength to be spine BMD (P=0.024) and body mass index (P=0.004) in men and femoral neck BMD in women (P=0.004).
Muscle strength decline may be connected to bone loss in patients with rheumatic conditions, especially those with inflammatory joint diseases.
In ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory activity probably plays a key role in the pathophysiology of bone loss. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship of bone mineral density (BMD) ...at the lumbar spine and hip region with some measures of disease activity and functional ability in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. In 80 patients with established ankylosing spondylitis, disease activity and functional ability were determined by C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Spinal pain and patient global health were assessed using horizontal visual analog scale. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. There was a significant negative correlation of bone density T scores with acute-phase reactants (i.e., patients with lower T scores had higher level of CRP and ESR). That relationship was reflected more reliably at proximal femur sites than at the lumbar spine. There were also significant differences in ESR, BASDAI, BASFI, spinal pain and global health between three groups of patients according to WHO classification of osteoporosis (normal, osteopenic and osteoporotic). Significantly, more patients with osteopenia at the lumbar spine had lower BASDAI index than those with normal BMD (
P
= 0.030). Our results indicate an association of low BMD with high disease activity in patients with AS. Femoral BMD seems to be more associated with disease activity and functional ability than lumbar spine BMD.
Osteoprotegerin (OPG) has an important role in bone remodeling, and it has been proposed that the OPG gene might be a candidate gene for osteoporosis predisposition. Several studies have already ...assessed the connection between OPG gene polymorphism and bone mineral density (BMD). In this study we wanted to analyze the association of two polymorphisms in the OPG gene with BMD and bone turnover markers in women with and without osteoporosis.
In 22 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (aged 65.6 ±12.6) and 59 women without osteoporosis (aged 60.8 ±8.7) we analyzed the association of two polymorphisms in the OPG gene with BMD, measured by dual energy absorptiometry and with bone turnover markers (crosslaps and osteoprotegerin). A163G, G209A, T245G and G1181C polymorphisms were determined.
No significant differences in age, anthropometry, number of fractures, osteocalcin and cross-laps were found between women with and without osteoporosis. Women with osteoporosis were significantly longer in postmenopause. Significantly more women with osteoporosis had AG polymorphism (p = 0.038) compared to women without osteoporosis, while no significant difference was found in prevalence of TT and GG polymorphism between patients with and without osteoporosis. No relationship was found between investigated polymorphism and bone turnover markers. A significant negative correlation between total hip BMD and crosslaps (p = 0.046) as well as between total hip T score and crosslaps (p = 0.044) was found in women without osteoporosis.
Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis had AG polymorphism more frequently than women without osteoporosis. Our results indicate that A163G polymorphism could have an impact on higher bone loss in postmenopausal women.
Summary
AIMS: Although considered as a feature of inflammatory rheumatic diseases, there is a lot of controversy around low bone mass in patients with psoriatic arthritis. The aim of this ...cross-sectional study was to analyze bone mineral density in patients with psoriatic arthritis, as well as to investigate its possible association with some measures of disease activity and functional capacity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with established psoriatic arthritis (mean age 56.20 ± 12.23 years) and who have not been treated with specific antiosteoporotic drugs were recruited from the out-patient clinic database. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and at the left hip. Disease activity measures included: duration of morning stiffness, tender and swollen joint count, patient's and physician's global assessment, presence of dactylitis and enthesitis, ESR, CRP and Disease Activity Score 28. Health Assessment Questionnaire was used to assess functional status. RESULTS: According to WHO definition, spinal osteoporosis was found in 7.2% of patients, total hip osteoporosis in 1.4% of patients and femoral neck osteoporosis in 2.9% of patients. There was no significant association of any of the measures of disease activity with BMD at any site. Higher HAQ scores were associated with lower total hip BMD. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample of patients with psoriatic arthritis we did not find increased prevalence of osteoporosis. There was no association of BMD with indices of disease activity, while negative correlation was found between HAQ and total hip BMD.
To determine the correlation between the bone mineral density (BMD) and spinal mobility and chest expansion index in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Eighty patients with confirmed diagnosis of ...ankylosing spondylitis were included in this study. In all of them physical examination was performed including assessment of spinal mobility and chest expansion index. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (L1-L4, anteroposterior view) and at the left hip was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in standard manner According to the WHO classification of osteoporosis, patients were classified in three groups (normal, osteopenic or osteoporotic) depending on the osteoporotic status in lumbar spine, hip and femoral neck region. Eighty patients (46 men and 34 women; age 25-73 years) were included. Mean BMD for lumbar spine was 1.104 +/- 1.043 (T score: 0.67 +/- 2.15) and for total hip was 1.057 +/- 0.899 (T score: -0.28 +/- 2.34). Significant difference in the mobility of thoracic spine was observed in patients in regard to the WHO classification of osteoporosis in lumbar and femoral region (p = 0.031, Oneway Anova for osteoporosis of lumbar region; p = 0.022, Oneway Anova for osteoporosis of total hip region). Mean value for the chest expansion index was 3.07 +/- 1.66 cm. Chest expansion index was significantly reduced in patients having osteoporosis in lumbar and total hip region (p = 0.015, Oneway Anova for osteoporosis of lumbar region; p = 0.038, Oneway Anova for osteoporosis of total hip region). The observation that reduced mobility of thoracic and lumbar spine and chest expansion index occured in patients with low BMD in lumbar and total hip region suggest that osteoporosis should be monitored more frequently in patients with AS.
Sažetak. Prevalencija stenoze spinalnog kanala slabinske regije u stalnom je porastu zbog starenja pučanstva. Naime, unatoč etiološkoj raznovrsnosti, ona najčešće nastaje kao posljedica ...degenerativnih promjena na kralježnici. Nema općeprihvaćene klasifikacije stenoze spinalnog kanala slabinske regije. Za postavljanje dijagnoze potrebno je povezati nalaze iz anamneze, kliničkog statusa i slikovnih metoda zajedno s elektrofiziološkim nalazima. Liječenje bolesnika sa stenozom spinalnog kanala slabinske regije može biti konzervativno (farmakološko i nefarmakološko) i kirurško, s tim da se u potonjem u posljednje vrijeme preferiraju minimalno invazivne tehnike. U ovom radu dajemo sveobuhvatni suvremeni pogled na stenozu spinalnog kanala slabinske regije.
Sindrom tarzalnog tunela (STT) relativno je rijetka kompresivna mononeuropatija donjih ekstremiteta uzrokovana kompresijom tibijalnog živca ili njegovih ogranaka (medijalnog ili lateralnog plantarnog ...živca) u području tarzalnog kanala. Pripada skupini kanalikularnih sindroma, a iako puno rjeđi, može se smatrati ekvivalentnim sindromu karpalnog tunela. Klinički se očituje pojavom boli, poglavito u medijalnom dijelu tabana te žarenjem i trncima u području prva tri prsta stopala. Uz kliničku procjenu, za dijagnosticiranje ove neuropatije najčešće se koriste elektrodijagnostičke pretrage – elektroneurografija (ENG) i elektromiografija (EMG), te ultrazvučna pretraga. Liječenje STT-a može biti konzervativno i kirurško. Konzervativno liječenje preporučuje se bolesnicima s lakšim do umjerenim tegobama, dok se kirurško liječenje provodi u bolesnika s težim oštećenjima. Cilj je ovog preglednog rada prikazati novije spoznaje vezane za STT s naglaskom na potvrdu kliničke dijagnoze najčešće korištenim dijagnostičkim pretragama kao što su elektroneurografija (ENG) i elektromiografija (EMG) te ultrazvučni pregled.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) is relatively rare compressive mononeuropathy of lower extremities caused by compression of tibial nerve and its associated branches (medial and lateral plantar nerve) in tarsal tunnel. It is one of canalicular sindromes, although much less common, and is equivalent of carpal tunnel syndrome. Clinically it is presented with pain in medial foot aspect, numbness and parestesia in the first three toes. Beside clinical assessement, diagnosis of this neuropathy is made by the use of electrodiagnostic procedures of neurography (ENG) and electromiography (EMG) and diagnostic ultrasound imaging. The management of tarsal tunnel syndrome can be conservative or operative. Patients with light to moderate simptoms are treated conservatively while those with severe damage undergo operative treatment. The aim of this systematic narrative review is to scrutinize the literature to date of TTS with emphasis on clinical diagnosis validation via neurography (ENG) and electromiography (EMG), and diagnostic ultrasound.
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