The Prevalence and Incidence of Fencing Injuries and Associated Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To summarize the prevalence, incidence, and factors associated with fencing injuries among able-bodied (AFs) and wheelchair fencers (WFs).

Data Sources: Literature was searched on 7 databases from inception to June 30, 2023. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and full texts, extracted data, and conducted risk of bias assessments and meta-analyses.

Neural oscillations and brain connectivity in females with chronic low back pain and comorbid insomnia.

Sleep disturbance is a common comorbidity in individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP), leading to greater functional impairments and poorer prognosis. Despite a strong association between CLBP and sleep, the neurophysiological mechanisms linking these two conditions remain unclear. As resting-state brain activity can reflect underlying neurophysiological states, this case-control study aimed to explore the spontaneous resting brain activity associated with CLBP and insomnia.

Identifying gait subgroups in low back pain patients with artificial intelligence: implications for individualized interventions.

Purpose: The following study aimed to investigate the existence of different gait profiles in patients with low back pain (LBP) and assess their clinical characteristics.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional retrospective study that included individuals with chronic or acute LBP. Three-dimensional gait kinematics were assessed, including mean angles, range of motion (ROM), and coordination of the trunk and pelvis across three planes.

Relationship Between Lumbar Multifidus Morphometry and Pain/Disability in Individuals With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain After Considering Demographics, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs, Insomnia, and Spinal Degenerative Changes.

Background: Although individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP) show increased fatty infiltration in the lumbar multifidus muscle (LMM), it remains unclear whether LMM changes are related to clinical outcomes (such as pain and disability) after considering confounders (spinal phenotypes, fear-avoidance beliefs [FABs] and insomnia). This study examined: (1) differences in confounders and LMM characteristics between individuals with and without CLBP; and (2) associations between confounders, LMM parameters, and clinical outcomes in the CLBP group alone.

Methods: Participants (CLBP = 70 and asymptomatic people = 67) underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging.

Translational genomics of osteoarthritis in 1,962,069 individuals.

Osteoarthritis is the third most rapidly growing health condition associated with disability, after dementia and diabetes. By 2050, the total number of patients with osteoarthritis is estimated to reach 1 billion worldwide. As no disease-modifying treatments exist for osteoarthritis, a better understanding of disease aetiopathology is urgently needed.

Measurement properties of self-reported outcome measures for older adults with nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review.

Objective: To summarise the measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for older adults with nonspecific low back pain.

Methods: Eight databases were searched from inception to January 2024. Two independent reviewers conducted article screening, data extraction, risk of bias assessments, evaluations of measurement properties of PROMs, syntheses of quality of evidence and forming recommendation levels using relevant checklists and assessment tools.

Differential pain perception among females with or without nonspecific chronic low back pain and comorbid insomnia: a quantitative sensory testing analysis.

Sleep disturbance is a prevalent condition in individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Despite a strong association between the 2 conditions, the potential mechanisms underlying the role of sleep disturbance in CLBP remain unclear. This case-control study aimed to examine pain perception among females with or without nonspecific CLBP and comorbid insomnia.

Effects of acceptance and commitment therapy plus exercise for older adults with chronic low back pain: A preliminary cluster randomized controlled trial with qualitative interviews.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is increasingly prevalent in older adults and often leads to functional disability and depressive symptoms. This 2-arm, double-blinded, pilot cluster RCT, with semi-structured interviews, aimed to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary clinical efficacy of ACT plus exercise training (ACT+Ex) on improving pain-related outcomes, psychological outcomes, and physical fitness in older adults with CLBP at post-treatment and 6-month follow-up. Forty community-dwelling older adults (62-85 years) with CLBP, predominantly female, were randomized to ACT+Ex (n=20) or Education plus exercise program (Edu+Ex) (n=20) for 8 weekly group-based sessions, with assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up (primary endpoint).

Mechanism of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration via the β-Catenin/CCL2 Pathway in Sox9 Conditional Knockout Mice.

Introduction: Degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc (IVD) are known to be a main cause of low back pain (LBP), oftentimes necessitating interventions that may or may not be successful due to a lack of understanding in the degenerative phenotype and its mechanisms. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of disc degeneration can help design new therapies to induce disc regeneration and reduce back pain. This work aimed to understand the effects of conditional deletion of Sox9 in aggrecan-expressing cells on intervertebral disc degeneration and its underlying mechanisms in mice.

Characterization of bone & cartilage endplate junction in the human lumbar spine: novel ultrastructural insights & association with elemental composition, vascularity and degeneration.

Objective: Intervertebral disc (IVD)-related pathology is associated with integrity of cartilaginous endplate (CEP), bony endplate (BEP) and their junction. However, ultrastructural details of the CEP, BEP and IVD and their interplay with disc degenerative features such as fissures and calcification are understudied. The current study aimed to ultra structurally explore CEP-BEP junction to IVD features.

Development and application of predictive clinical biomarkers for low back pain care: recommendations from the ISSLS phenotype/precision spine focus group.

Predictive biomarkers (or moderators of treatment) are features, or more likely feature clusters, that discriminate individuals who are more likely to experience a favourable or unfavourable effect from a specific treatment. Utilization of validated predictive biomarkers for chronic low back pain (CLBP) treatments is a plausible strategy to guide patients more rapidly to effective treatments thereby reducing wastage of finite healthcare funds on treatments that are ineffective (or potentially harmful). Yet, few predictive biomarkers have been successfully validated in clinical studies.

Are changes in pain intensity related to changes in balance control in individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence regarding whether pain reduction in individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) following conservative interventions is related to corresponding improvements in balance control.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials were identified from 5 databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO). Two reviewers independently screened and identified relevant studies that investigated the effects of non-surgical or non-pharmacological CNSLBP treatments on both pain intensity and balance control.

Virtual Clinical Trials: Implications of Computer Simulations and Artificial Intelligence for Musculoskeletal Research.

In silico clinical trials, particularly when augmented with artificial intelligence methods, represent an innovative approach with much to offer, particularly in the musculoskeletal field. They are a cost-effective, efficient, and ethical means of evaluating treatments and interventions by supplementing and/or augmenting traditional randomized controlled trials (RCTs). While they are not a panacea and should not replace traditional RCTs, their integration into the research process promises to accelerate medical advancements and improve patient outcomes.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the productivity and career prospects of musculoskeletal researchers.

Academic researchers faced a multitude of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including widespread shelter-in-place orders, workplace closures, and cessation of in-person meetings and laboratory activities. The extent to which these challenges impacted musculoskeletal researchers, specifically, is unknown. We developed an anonymous web-based survey to determine the pandemic's impact on research productivity and career prospects among musculoskeletal research trainees and faculty.

Discovery of circulating blood biomarkers in patients with and without Modic changes of the lumbar spine: a preliminary analysis.

Purpose: The following study aimed to determine the existence of blood biomarkers in symptomatic patients with or without lumbar Modic changes (MC).

Methods: A cross-sectional sub-analyses of a prospective cohort was performed. Fasting blood samples were collected from patients with and without lumbar MC who had undergone spinal fusion or microdiscectomy.

How Does Resorption Differ Among Single-Level and Multilevel Lumbar Disc Herniations? A Prospective Multi-Imaging and Clinical Phenotype Study.

Study Design: Prospective, case series.

Objective: To identify and characterize any differences in specific patient factors, MRI findings, features of spontaneous disc resorption, and outcomes between patients with single-level and multilevel LDH.

Background: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is one of the most common spinal pathologies worldwide.

The efficacy and safety of oral antibiotic treatment in patients with chronic low back pain and Modic changes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of oral antibiotic intervention for chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients with/without type-1 Modic changes (MC1).

Methods: AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Medline were searched from inception to March 3, 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or non-RCTs that investigated the effectiveness or safety of oral antibiotics in treating CLBP patients were eligible for inclusion.

The impact of novel inflammation-preserving treatment towards lumbar disc herniation resorption in symptomatic patients: a prospective, multi-imaging and clinical outcomes study.

Purpose: We performed a prospective one-year multi-imaging study to assess the clinical outcomes and rate of disc resorption in acute lumbar disc herniation (LDH) patients undergoing inflammation-preserving treatment (i.e. no NSAIDS, steroids).