Exam 2: Lumbar Spine, SI Joint, & Special Topics Flashcards
What is the goal of industrial PT?
to prevent and reduce work injuries and rehabilitation for safe, timely return to work
Complications of Work Injuries
Affect the employee, employer, medical professionals, rehab nurse/consultant, and attorneys
What percentage of their paycheck does an employee receive when being off work because of a work-related injury?
66%
What is the effect of a work-related injury on employers?
- must replace employee (retraining cost or possible increases workload for others)
- worker’s comp cost (affects the company’s bottom line; 25% related to healthcare)
Lost Time
the cost associated with an employee suffering a work-related injury; including the employee’s salary and HC costs
OSHA Recordable
increasing # of OSHA recordable causes concern that there are significant areas of the factory that are putting employees at risk; anything BEYOND first-aid care
T/F: Injuries associated with known pre-existing conditions are payable under WC if aggravated?
True
Independent Medical Examiner
A medical professional that is not involved with injured individual’s care, but who is responsible for administering FCE to determine disability qualification
Examples of In-Clinic Industrial PT
- Functional capacity evaluations
- Work hardening/conditioning
- Prework screen or Post-Offer Employment Testing
- Education
Functional Capacity Evaluation
establishes the employee’s capacity to perform essential job functions described in an employer’s job description
FCE Components
- 1-2 day test approximately 4-6 hours/day
- work history and job description
- musculoskeletal evaluation (ROM; strength)
- material handling
- validity criteria
- summary letter or case reference
What are two options to detect legitimacy of effort?
Heart rate and grip strength
The results of the FCE are used to determine if the patient:
- can return to work
- can return to work with modifications
- should continue PT
- needs work conditioning/hardening
- is eligible for disability
Work Conditioning
addresses physical and functional needs which may be provided by one discipline; utilizes physical conditioning and functional activities related to work
- 4 hours/day
- 5 days/week
- 8 weeks
Work Hardening
- addresses physical, functional, behavioral, vocational needs within a multidisciplinary or unidisciplinary model
- requires an FCE
- utilizes real or simulated work activities
- provided in multi-hour sessions
- 8 hours/day or more
- 5 days/week
- up to 8 weeks
Prework Screening/Post-Offer Employment Testing
- physical performance test
- allows company to decide whether or not applicant is able to perform the job
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Out of Clinic
- education
- onsite PT
- job site analysis
What are problems in which PTs run into when trying to make ergonomic suggestions?
- lack of ergonomics education
- making recommendations without having objective data to justify making a change
- lack of experience or exposure to industrial operations
What are the only self-report questionnaires to be validated in older patients?
- modified Oswestry Disability Index
- Quebec Back Pain Disability Questionnaire
What are the four general themes associated with aging?
- decreased mobility
- decreased postural awareness
- decreased balance
- changes w/in the CNS
Older adults with LBP demonstrate:
- asymmetrical gait pattern
- increased double limb support time
- increased step width d/t possible pain avoidance strategy
- decreased stair ascent and descent performance
What are frequent comorbidities of older adults w/ LBP?
- insomnia
- depression and anxiety
- maladaptive behaviors
- hip and knee pathology
- fibromyalgia
Predictors of LBP-Related Disability for Older Adults
- leg pain
- depression
- anxiety
- hip OA
- knee OA
- neck pain
- falls
What changes occur in the disc around the 2nd decade?
- annular disorganization
- alteration of endplates
- nuclear fibrous transformation
Baastrup Disease
- term for approximating spinous processes
- clinical significance unclear
- part of a cascade of other degenerative changes
Age-Related CHanges in Muscle
- musculoskeletal reaction time
- muscle endurance
- tendon and cartilage structure
- flexibility
- balance
Z Joint Syndrome
- low back, buttock, hip, thigh pain
- extension > flexion
- dural tests negative
- PIVM reveals motion loss
- compression/distraction negative
Causes of Central and Lateral Stenosis
- central: disc bulging, enlarged Z joints, and ligamentum flavum
- lateral: hypertrophied Z joints
Stenosis S/Sx
- age ≥ 65 YOA
- LE pain
- No S/Sx improve pain when seated
- Sx worse with walking
- Numbness
- Wide-based gait
- Abnormal Romberg test
- Weakness
- vibration deficit
- absent Achilles tendon reflex
Progression of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
- disc degeneration and bulging
- loss of disc height > intrusion into canal
- increased load on the facets > hypertrophy narrows canal
- decreased tension in ligamentum flavum, buckling in canal
General Conservative Approach for Patients with LBP
- flexion/distraction types of manual techniques
- flexion self-mobilization exercise
- body-weight supported treadmill
- recumbent/semi-recumbent bike
- hip exam and treatment
Intervention for Spinal Instability
- spinal mechanical treatment (mobilization/manipulation; traction)
- re-education of motor system
- stabilization/neuromuscular re-education
- patient education
Treatment for Z Joint Syndrome
- flexion directional preference
- bias toward flexion self-mobilization
- passive flexion/distraction mobilization
- positional distraction
- abdominal musculature reconditioning
- avoidance of extension
S/Sx of AAA in Patients with LBP
Review in PT830 notes
S/Sx of Metastatic CA in Patients with LBP
Review in PT830 notes
Neck Pain with Mobility Deficits
- loss of motion
- pain at ends of active/passive motion
- no overt neurological deficit
- movement or position dependent
- typically reduced PIVM
- pain w/ provocation of involved PIVM
Neck Pain with Radiating Pain
- neck pain w/ radiating pain reproduced w/ Spurling’s test/ULTT
- neck pain w/ radiating pain relieved w/ cervical distraction
- may have UE sensory, strength, or reflex deficits associated w/ involved nerve
Myelopathy Features
- objective UE and/or LE weakness
- atrophy of hand intrinsic musculature
- sensory disturbances
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
- avg onset apx 70; rare <50 YOA
- females > males; 3:1
- neck, bilateral hip/shoulder pain and stiffness
- difficulty w/ AM mobility (>1 hr)
- systemic symptoms including fatigue, loss of appetite, wt loss, low-grade fever, night sweats
- elevated ESR and CRP
- rapid response to glucocorticoids
- often w/ concurrent giant-cell arteritis
Neck Pain with Radiculating Pain Treatment
- upper quarter and nerve mobilization
- traction
- thoracic mobilization/manipulation
Risk Factors for Compression Fracture
- weight <125 lbs
- previous fx after age 45
- parental hip fracture
- current smoker
- current use of cortisone/prednisone
- secondary osteoporosis
- aromatase inhibitor
- celiac disease/colitis
- DM type 1
- menopause < 45 YOA
- ETOH >20 drinks/week
What is meant by the phrase “muscle engine”?
- a theory for the origin of LBP; poor abdominal muscle function drives back pain
What is the incidence of LBP in the general population?
70-90%
What is the natural progression of LBP?
- 40% remit in one week
- 60-85% remit in three weeks
- 90% remit in two months
What percentage of patients who consulted about LBP had fully recovered at a 12-month follow-up?
Only 25%
What are the proposed categories for back pain?
- persistent mild
- recovering
- severe chronic
- fluctuating
What are the causes for LBP?
- no particular incident (58%)
- lifting (17%)
- turning (11%)
- accident (3%)
- sports (2%)
- bending position (4%)
- chilling (4%)
- uncomfortable sitting (1%)
What three factors increase the load on the spine?
- fatigue
- decreased strength
- increased dynamic load
Transient Back Pain
- present on no more than 90 consecutive days
- does not recur over a 12-month observation period
Recurrent Back Pain
- pain present on less than half the days in a 12-month period
- multiple episodes over the year
- number of episodes tends to increase over time
- recurrence rate is 90% for those who have sought medical treatment for LBP
Chronic Back Pain
- pain present on at least half the days in a 12-month period
Acute Back Pain
- pain is not recurrent or chronic
- onset is recent and sudden
The SI joint is generally considered a ________ _____, which consists of:
synovial joint
- joint cavity w/ synovial fluid
- adjacent bones united by ligaments
- fibrous capsule surrounding joint
- surfaces allow motion
The anteroinferior portion of the SI joint is described as a ________, while the posterosuperior portion is described as a ___________
synovial; syndesmosis
What is the anatomy of the lateral articular surface?
- concave
- auricular shaped
- long arm A-P = S2-3
- short arm S-I = S1
- hyaline cartilage on the surface, but is contoured depending on the age of the individual
The innominate contains _____________ on its surface
fibrocartilage
What is the difference in the SI joint between males and females?
- males have thicker bone and more prominent bony landmarks for heavier build and stronger muscles
- females have wider, shallower, larger superior and inferior apertures for childbearing; the distance between the iliac crests and ischial tuberosities is increased and the sacrum is less curved