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Biomedical subjects

L Twomey

Publications and source records attributed to L Twomey.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Altered abdominal muscle recruitment in patients with chronic back pain following a specific exercise intervention.

The efficacy of specific exercise interventions that advocate training the co-contraction of the deep abdominal muscles with lumbar multifidus for treating chronic back pain conditions has not been tested. A randomized controlled trial involving 42 subjects with a specific chronic back pain condition investigated whether this form of intervention results in changes to the ratio of activation of the internal oblique relative to the rectus abdominis. Data were collected before and after the intervention, using surface electromyography, while subjects performed different abdominal maneuvers. Subjects were randomly allocated to either a specific exercise group or control group. Following intervention, the specific exercise group showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the ratio of activation of the internal oblique relative to the rectus abdominis. The control group showed no significant change. The study findings provide evidence that the conscious and automatic patterns of abdominal muscle activation can be altered by specific exercise interventions.

Abdominal Muscles↗
PubMed1995

Exercise and spinal manipulation in the treatment of low back pain.

Current research clearly indicates the importance of exercise and mobility in the treatment of low back pain and also that bed rest and inactivity should play a relatively small part in treatment. The use of intensive, physical exercise and "work hardening" routines have been shown to be necessary for treating chronic low back pain and returning individuals to work. Evidence derived from valid clinical studies of the use of manipulation in the treatment of low back pain shows a role for it in the acute treatment of "mechanical" low back disorders. These studies have demonstrated that manipulative procedures result in more rapid pain and functional relief compared with other conservative therapies. Over a longer time frame, this advantage disappears.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1993

The lateral atlanto-axial joints and their synovial folds: an in vitro study of soft tissue injuries and fractures.

Thirty victims of blunt cervical trauma, who did not survive (acute death group), were studied at autopsy as were 11 patients who survived trauma for more than 1 month and ten controls without any known cervical trauma. All specimens were sagitally sectioned in 2-mm slices and carefully examined for injuries to the lateral parts of the atlanto-axial joints. In the acute death group, five cases showed a rupture of the joint capsule, three of these with a massive hemarthrosis. In 17 cases there was bruising around the second cervical spinal nerve. Bruising of the intra-articular synovial fold was present in 15 cases, the posterior synovial fold being most commonly affected. There were five intra-articular fractures of the lateral masses, in three cases combined with a dens fracture. In two cases a bone fragment from the fracture compressed and obliterated the lumen of the vertebral artery. The findings are discussed in relation to pain after cervical trauma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A physical approach to the rehabilitation of patients disabled by chronic low back pain.

OBJECTIVE: To report the outcome of a multidisciplinary physically based program to treat sufferers of chronic low back pain who had not responded to previous treatment. DESIGN: Prospective intervention study. SETTING: The treatment program was conducted at the private practice of Brian C Edwards and Associates Rehabilitation Centre. PATIENTS: A total of 54 patients participated in the treatment program. All patients were medically referred. No specific exclusion criteria were used; however, all were not working and had not responded to previous treatment. INTERVENTION: The rehabilitation program consisted of mobilising physiotherapy, isokinetic testing, physical reconditioning, work hardening and psychological testing. This was carried out for seven hours a day, five days a week for four weeks. RESULTS: Of the 54 patients taking part in this trial 30 (55%) were successfully rehabilitated (returned to work) and remained so at a follow-up session one year later. CONCLUSION: While selection criteria for successful rehabilitation have not been established, the results do indicate that such physical rehabilitation programs have an important part to play in the rehabilitation of sufferers of chronic low back pain.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Sex differences in peak adult bone mineral density.

Osteoporotic fractures are more common in women than men. Although accelerated bone loss following the menopause is recognized as of major importance, it is generally considered that a lower peak adult bone mass in females also contributes to their increased risk of osteoporosis in later life. To examine potential sex differences in peak adult bone mass we studied 29 pairs of dizygotic twins of differing within-pair sex in whom the female twin was premenopausal (mean age 37 years, range 21-55). Bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm2) was measured at the lumbar spine and femoral neck by dual-photon absorptiometry; 22 pairs also had BMD measured in the distal and 21 pairs in the ultradistal radius by single-photon absorptiometry. There was no significant difference in usual dietary calcium intake or tobacco consumption between the twin pairs. Consistent with accepted dogma, BMD at both radial sites were higher (+27%) in the males than their female cotwins. In contrast, there was no sex difference (male versus female) in BMD (mean +/- SEM) in the femoral neck (0.96 +/- 0.02 versus 0.97 +/- 0.03), and surprisingly, the females had a greater lumbar spine BMD than their male cotwins (1.19 +/- 0.03 versus 1.26 +/- 0.03, p less than 0.05). This difference was observed despite the fact that the males were taller (p = 0.033). If the femoral neck BMD values in the females were corrected for this difference in BMI, their values (0.99 +/- 0.03 g/cm2) were significantly higher than those in their male cotwin (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Age changes in the lumbar spinal and intervertebral canals.

A variety of measurements of the lumbar spinal canal (SC) and intervertebral foramina (IVF) are presented and compared in two adult age groups (48 individuals aged 20-35 and 48 individuals over 60 years) in both males and females. The dimensions measured in fresh post-mortem material include: mid-sagittal (AP) and transverse diameters (TD) of the SC; height, length and greater antero-posterior (AP) width of the IVF and ligamentum flavum (LF) thickness at the lumbo-sacral level. The data show a significant decline in the SC APD in both sexes, but the SC TD increases with ageing in males while it declines with ageing in females. The IVF height decreases with ageing but its AP width increases and its length increases. The LF shows a 50% increase in thickness with ageing. These ageing changes in a 'normal' population provide the neurovascular bundle in the IVF with less 'room for manoeuvre' and support the view that minor additional pathology is more likely to lead to entrapment syndromes in the elderly than in the young.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Age changes in lumbar intervertebral discs.

Measurements of disc thickness, shape and degeneration, using the criteria described by Rolander (1966), were recorded from 204 post-mortem lumbar spines. The "true average disc height" increased with age as the discs "sink" into the vertebrae. These results add information to previous studies which indicate that the loss of transverse trabeculae of lumbar vertebrae is primarily responsible for the change in shape of both vertebrae and discs in the elderly. While the incidence of disc degeneration does increase in old age, the majority of the discs examined did not show evidence of any such change.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Age changes in the bone density and structure of the lumbar vertebral column.

Old age is associated with a decline in bone density in lumbar vertebral bodies in both sexes, although the rate and amount of the decline is greatest in females. The bone translucency index method, described in this study, is a sensitive method of estimating bone density. The primary reason for this decline is the significant decrease in the number of transverse trabeculae of lumbar vertebrae in old age. It is postulated that the increase in vertebral end plate concavity and the increased horizontal dimensions of lumbar vertebral bodies in old age follows as a direct consequence of the selective loss of the transverse trabeculae.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Sagittal and horizontal plane movement of the human lumbar vertebral column in cadavers and in the living.

The ranges of sagittal and horizontal plane movements of the human lumbar vertebral column have been measured in 204 cadavers and 437 living subjects of both sexes. The cadaveric measurements were made on fresh specimens within 24-48 hours of death and compared with similar measurements from the living subjects. The data from the two sources correlate well and provide an estimate of the decline in the normal ranges of movements with increasing age, in both sexes.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Flexion creep deformation and hysteresis in the lumbar vertebral column.

Fresh lumbar vertebral columns from nine male subjects aged from six to 61 years were tested for creep deformation and hysteresis. The standard test applied a load of 3.5 kg for one hour through a weight and pulley circuit. Additional tests used 1 kg and 5.5 kg for varying periods of time. The four oldest columns showed a pronounced decrease in the range of flexion movement but a consistent increase in the flexion creep deformation. Hysteresis recovery on load removal was more prolonged and less complete in the older lumbar columns than in the young.

Adolescent↗