OBJECTIVES The aims of this study are to answer the following questions (1) How does the pain intensity of lumbar and cervical disc surgery patients change within a postoperative time frame of 5 years? (2) Which sociodemographic, medical, work-related, and psychological factors are associated with postoperative pain in lumbar and cervical disc surgery patients? METHODS The baseline survey (T0...

INTRODUCTION The regulation and elevation in expression of the catabolic matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is of high importance in the human intervertebral disc since upregulation of these matrix-degrading enzymes results in matrix destruction associated with disc degeneration. MMP28 (epilysin) is a newly discovered MMP believed to play a role in matrix composition and turnover in skin. It is p...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the clinical effect of antibiotic treatment in a cohort of patients with low-back pain (LBP) and Modic changes Type 1 (bone oedema) following a lumbar herniated disc. DESIGN This was a prospective uncontrolled trial of 32 LBP patients who had Modic changes and were treated with Amoxicillin-clavulanate (500 mg/125 mg) 3 x day for 90 days. All patie...

BACKGROUND The efficacy of epidural steroid injection for sciatica due to herniated disc is controversial. This study evaluates the therapeutic effect of an alternative technique that uses a modified approach of epidural steroid injection for the above mentioned disease. The aim was to determine whether this procedure can reduce the need of surgery among discectomy candidates. METHODS Twenty-...

In 1934 Mixter and Barr described the syndrome of the ruptured intervertebral disc in the lumbar region. Since then the herniated intervertebral disc has been considered to be the dominant cause of low back pain and sciatica. In 1953 Schlesinger and Taveras pointed out that in the presence of a narrow spinal canal patients with herniated intervertebral discs may present an atypical picture of m...

OBJECTIVE This paper aims to demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of a minimal invasive approach by using a muscle dilator system for the treatment of lateral lumbar disc herniations. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 38 cases with lateral lumbar disc herniations that were treated the METRx-System was performed. Patients were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively with the visual a...

Currently, extracellular matrix MMP has been discussed in relation to the extrusion and spontaneous regression of the herniated mass observed in lumbar disc herniation. However, the question remains as to whether degenerated protein is really the cause of this condition's pathogenesis. We confirmed immunologically by means of electron microscopy that extrusion is caused by the AGEs (advanced gl...