The necks of sauropod dinosaurs were a key factor in their evolution. The habitual posture and range of motion of these necks has been controversial, and computer-aided studies have argued for an obligatory sub-horizontal pose. However, such studies are compromised by their failure to take into account the important role of intervertebral cartilage. This cartilage takes very different forms in ...

Osteoarthritis is the name given not only to a common disease but also erroneously to other phenomena. While well-defined clinically, application of the term in the anthropologic literature is misleading because of use of speculative, actually erroneous criteria. The term erosive osteoarthritis is also problematic. It describes a disorder that is not responsive to standard treatments for osteoa...

Different anatomical structures and pathophysiological functions can be responsible for lumbar pain, each producing a distinctive clinical profile. Pain can arise from the intervertebral disc, either acutely as a primary disc related disorder, or as result of the degradation associated with chronic internal disc disruption. In either case, greatest pain provocation will be associated with movem...

STUDY DESIGN Counterbalanced, within-subjects experimental design. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of continuous 1-MHz ultrasound, given at 1.5 W/cm2 and 2.0 W/cm2 for 10 minutes, on tissue temperature in the region of the L4-L5 zygapophyseal joint. BACKGROUND Ultrasound is a modality commonly used for the treatment of lower back pain syndromes. Randomized controlled trials supporting the...

Objectives: The role of intra-articular meniscoids in spinal pathology is unclear, and their anatomy not well understood. Spinal meniscoids have been identified in research using dissection and imaging. No previous studies have identified these structures using E12 sheet plastination; such methods of visualising meniscoids are likely of value in research and education. Our aim was to examine th...

To prevent adjacent disc problems after spinal fusion, a pedicle screw with a mobile junction between the head and threaded shaft was newly developed. The threaded shaft of the screw has 10 degrees mobility in all directions, but its structure is to prevent abnormal translation and tilting. This screw was evaluated as follows: (1) endurance test: 10(6) times rotational stress was applied; (2) b...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to assess the diagnostic value and clinical benefits of lumbar zygapophyseal joint injections in patients with chronic lower back pain. METHODS Two hundred and seventy-seven patients (136 males and 141 females, aged 15-82 years) with chronic lower back pain were enrolled in the trial and met the following criteria: pain for more than 1 year; no root signs; a...