Epidemiology of low back pain in women

The prevalence of low back pain [LBP] in a randomly selected sample of 1,000 women with five different jobs was studied over a 2-year period. The selected jobs comprised of farmers, manual workers, nurses, clerks, and housewives. Each group consisted of 200 cases. The rate of LBP was found to be different in various occupations [p=0.0001]. The study was based on interviews and the completion of a questionnaire followed by clinical examination. The overall prevalence rate of LBP during a lifetime and over a one-year period in women aged 25-45 years were 27.4% and 12.7%, respectively. The lifetime prevalence was 35% in farmers, 32.5% in manual workers, 28.5% in housewives, 26% in nurses and 15% in clerks. The obvious risk factor for LBP was age and the number of working years. The most prominent physical risk factor for LBP was "stooping". Remaining in a sitting position for more than 4 hours daily was also a clear risk factor. We found accentuated lordosis and positive straight-leg raising test as the most prevalent clinical signs. The salient plain radiological findings were traction spur, disc-space narrowing, and hyperlordosis

Pauwels' osteotomy for femoral neck non-union

During a period of nine years [1982-1991], Pauwels' osteotomy was performed for 38 cases of femoral neck non-union. 32 led to consolidation with one osteotomy [84%] and 6 failed [3 needed revision [92%], one died and two were lost to follow-up]. The length of follow-up was 2-11 years, the average time of non-union 12 months [ranging from 4 months to 13 years] and the mean patient age 33 years [ranging from 3-58 years]. According to the method of fixation the cases were divided into 3 groups, and the best results were achieved in group III which were treated via a modification of Pauwels' technique

Incidence of congenital dislocation of the hip in Shiraz

During an eight month prospective study, 8240 newborns were examined for detection of congenital dislocation of the hip from Oct. 23,1991 to June 22, 1992. On first examination we found 1302 neonates [158/1000 live births] to have abnormal hips; 1063 [81.6%] were prone to subluxation [subluxatable], 218 [16.81%] prone to dislocation [dislocatable], 17 [1.3%] were dislocated and 4 [0.3%] were teratologic. The newborns with abnormal hips were followed in a neonatal OPD held for this purpose. After the sixth month of life 1272 [97.7%] of the neonatally unstable hips had resolved spontaneously, leaving 30 hips with true congenital dislocation [3.6/1000 live births]