Effects of Cervical Spine Exercise Protocol on Neck Pain, Pericervical Muscle Endurance, and Range of Motion in Medical Students: A Prospective Study.

Introduction Neck pain is a common and debilitating ailment that places a significant burden on the healthcare system. No practical protocols have been published utilizing a portable, commercially available, and affordable device that significantly reduces acute and chronic neck pain. Methods Forty-six young adults with or without mild-to-moderate neck pain completed a six-week neck stretching and strengthening protocol with a portable cervical stretching and strengthening device. The primary outcome was changes to pericervical muscle endurance. Secondary outcomes were changes to cervical range of motion (ROM), neck length, circumference, and subjective pain, flexibility, and strength. Measurements were obtained on study days 0, 21, and 42. Results A significant increase in pericervical muscle endurance was demonstrated across all planes of cervical motion, ranging from 84% to 105%. Cervical ROM improved across all planes of motion but was only significant in right-side bending (5.3°), left rotation (6.2°), and right rotation (7.8°). Subjective pain evaluated via the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) saw statistically significant improvement as well (1.33 to 0.51). Subjective assessment of participant cervical pain, strength, and flexibility improved 61.3%, 95.7%, and 97.8%, respectively. Conclusions A six-week pericervical muscle stretching and strengthening program increased pericervical endurance and ROM in young adults. Decreased cervical pain was seen using the NRS and modified pain scale across most participants.

A Review of Pediatric Distal Radius Buckle Fractures and the Current Understanding of Angled Buckle Fractures.

Distal radius buckle fractures (DRBFs) are the most common pediatric fractures and resemble the rounded portion of a Greek pillar or torus. They result from compressive forces applied to a child's highly plastic radius. DRBFs lack cortical and physeal disruption, which makes them relatively stable. In this review, we discuss angled DRBFs, a hypothesized subset of buckle fractures that results from an off-center compressive force. Some authors refute the existence of angled DRBFs, instead proposing new criteria for DRBF classification: measuring more than 1 cm away from the physis with two to three inflection points. Without universal diagnostic criteria, misdiagnosis is common, and the utilization of flexible treatment modalities is infrequent. Rigid immobilization with short-arm casting continues to be the mainstay of treatment in clinical practice. Yet, new protocols implementing removable elastic bandages have had comparable results to casting, including reduced healthcare expenditure, less stiffness, and improved convenience and patient tolerability. Despite the discrepancies in categorizing DRBFs, complication rates remain low, and diagnostic confusion insignificantly affects clinical outcomes. Angled DRBFs have been theorized to have intraphyseal extension, making them unstable Salter-Harris fractures. Radiographic evidence supporting or denying this claim is limited. Further research is essential to determine the stability of the angled DRBF subtype and whether they should continue to be defined and managed as buckle fractures.

Assessment of Rod Material Types in Spine Surgery Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar spine fusion surgery is traditionally performed with rigid fixation. Because the rigidity is often supraphysiologic, semirigid rods were developed. To the best of our knowledge, a comprehensive evaluation of rod material type on surgical outcomes has yet to be conducted. METHODS: A systematic review based on PRISMA guidelines was conducted across 3 electronic databases. After examination for inclusion and exclusion criteria, data were extracted from the studies. RESULTS: Seventeen studies, including 1399 patients, were included in this review. The mean rigid rod fusion rate is 92.2% and 95.5% for semirigid rods (P = 0.129). The mean improvement in back pain was 60.6% in rigid rods and 71.6% in semirigid rods. The improvement in leg pain was 81.9% and 77.2%, respectively. There were no differences in visual analog scale back pain score (P = 0.098), visual analog scale leg pain score (P = 0.136), or in functional improvement between rigid and semirigid rods (P = 0.143). There was no difference (P = 0.209) in the reoperation rate between rigid rods (13.1%) and semirigid rods (6.5%). There was a comparable incidence of adjacent segment disease (3%), screw fracture (1.7%), and wound infection (1.9%) between rod material types. CONCLUSIONS: There is a moderate level of evidence supporting that surgical intervention results in high fusion rates regardless of rod material type. Surgical intervention improves back pain, leg pain, and function, with neither material type showing clear superiority. There are comparable rates of reoperation, development of adjacent segment disease, development of mechanical complications, and incidence of infection in both rigid and semirigid rods. Further studies regarding rod material type are warranted.

Acquired Diverticulosis of the Entire Colon in a Cadaver.

Diverticulosis involving the entire colon is rare in Western society. During a routine dissection of a 74-year-old Caucasian female cadaver, who died from vascular disease complications, diverticula were observed in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon. A total of 413 diverticula were manually counted. The majority of diverticula arose from the right and transverse colon, which is atypical of the disease in Western society. Histological examination of sections from sample diverticula reveals morphology consistent with pseudodiverticula, suggestive of acquired disease. Pancolonic diverticulosis may be associated with systemic diseases such as collagen disorders, vascular complications, and increased risk of recurrent diverticulitis. This case is an example of a rare manifestation of diverticular disease that is important for clinicians to recognize when evaluating and treating patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Coexistence of Brachial Plexus-Anterior Scalene and Sciatic Nerve-Piriformis Variants.

The trunks of the brachial plexus typically pass through the interscalene triangle, between the anterior and middle scalene muscles and superior to the first rib. Likewise, the two components of the sciatic nerve, tibial and common fibular nerves, usually join and pass together inferior to the piriformis muscle. We present a cadaver with anatomic variations of both the right brachial plexus-interscalene triangle relationship and the sciatic nerve-piriformis relationship. The right brachial plexus C5 and C6 roots formed the superior trunk as they passed through a bifurcated anterior scalene muscle, while the C7, C8, and T1 roots passed posterior to the anterior scalene. After passing through the left greater sciatic foramen, the sciatic nerve branched into the common fibular and tibial nerves, which passed through and inferior to the piriformis muscle, respectively. The presence of these anatomic variations may predispose individuals to symptomatic nerve entrapments such as thoracic outlet syndrome and piriformis syndrome. This finding is relevant to clinicians performing invasive procedures and diagnosing neurological conditions.