Eficacia terapéutica de la acupuntura en pacientes con sacrolumbalgia / Acupuncture therapeutic efficacy in patients with lower back pain

Se realizó un ensayo clinicoterapéutico de fase II en 100 pacientes con sacrolumbalgia aguda, que acudieron al Servicio de Medicina Natural y Tradicional del Centro Médico Psicopedagógico América Labadí Arce de Santiago de Cuba, desde julio del 2009 hasta igual mes del 2010, a fin de evaluar la eficacia del tratamiento acupuntural en ellos, para lo cual fueron conformados 2 grupos de estudio (A y B) de 50 integrantes cada uno: los primeros recibieron los efectos de la medicina natural y los segundos de la convencional. Se obtuvo que los tratados con acupuntura mejoraron en menor tiempo y con menos reacciones adversas en comparación con los consumidores de fármacos, de donde se infiere que la técnica milenaria china resultó eficaz para aliviar el dolor lumbar en quienes se aplicó.

A phase II clinical therapeutical trial on 100 patients with acute lower back pain who attended the Natural and Traditional Medicine Service at América Labadí Psychopedagogical Medical Center from Santiago de Cuba was carried out from July, 2009 to July, 2010 in order to assess the efficacy of the acupunctural treatment on them. To achieve this goal, two study groups (A and B) composed of 50 members each were created: the first ones received the natural medicine effects and the second ones received the conventional medicine effects. The results were as follows: those treated with acupuncture improved their physical condition in a short period of time and had less side effects compared to the patients who used drugs, in which case it can be inferred that Chinese millenary technique was effective to relieve lumbar pain on whom it was applied.

role of different neurophysiological tests in the differential diagnosis of diabetic axonal neuropathy and lumbosacral radiculopathy

To evaluate the role of different neurophysiological tests in the differential diagnosis of diabetic axonal neuropathy [DAN] and lumbosacral radiculopathy [LSR]. This study was conducted at Al-Kadhimiya Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, from July 2006 to February 2007. Twenty-seven healthy subjects, 44 type 2 diabetics, and 36 LSR patients were studied. The HbA1c level, plain x-ray, and MRI of the lumbosacral region and different electrophysiological tests were assessed. The sural sensory nerve action potential [SNAP] amplitude values were reduced in 56.3%, and the sural/radial amplitude ratio [SRAR] values were reduced in 71.8% in the diabetic patients, but not in the LSR group. The peroneal compound muscle action potential [CMAP] amplitude was low in 70.45% DAN patients versus 35.5% LSR patients. Peroneal F-minimum [Fmin] values were prolonged in 56.8% DAN versus 32.25% LSR patients. The Fpersistence [Fp] values were low in 72.7% of DAN, versus 45.2% of LSR patients. However, the Fchronodispersion [Fc] was abnormal in 71% of LSR versus 11.4% of DAN patients. The SRAR was found to be more significant than the sural SNAP amplitude alone in the differential diagnosis of the 2 groups. Abnormal peroneal Fc and Fp seems to be valuable tests in the detection of LSR and DAN patients

[Postpartum foot drop a case report]

Postpartum foot drop is the clinical manifestation of lumbosacral plexus radiculopathy [LPR] which is a neurological maternal complication in obstetrics. It is mainly due to cephalopelvic disproportion. Occurring also in the third trimester of the pregnancy, this pathology includes motor and sensitive disorders interesting the lumbosacral plexus territory. Its diagnosis and physiopathology are based on electromyographic data. The prognosis is commonly favourable after a physical therapy program. The prevention is primarily based on the management of mechanic dystocia