Submit to Medicina Review for Medicina Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Musculoskeletal Spine Imaging and Rehabilitation

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Medicine and Sports Traumatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2021) | Viewed by 13131

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maryse Fortin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Interests: low back pain; musculoskeletal health; multifidus; paraspinal muscle; spine imaging; rehabilitation; cervical spondylotic myelopathy; sports injury
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Low back pain and neck pain are debilitating conditions and major global challenges, causing great personal and socioeconomic burden. Identifying effective prevention and management strategies to mitigate the persistence of spinal pain is a current research priority. Over the past several decades, musculoskeletal spine imaging methods have received increased attention, providing a ubiquitous and non-invasive approach to quantify paraspinal muscle morphology, composition, and function with respect to the prognosis and treatment of common spinal disorders.

While advancements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound technologies offer obvious potential to further our understanding of the complexity of spinal disorders, conflicting evidence has questioned the clinical and prognostic value of skeletal muscle imaging-defined features and tissue changes. Important methodological issues such as the inconsistencies in measurement methods across studies have unarguably contributed to the inconsistent results. Although limited evidence has suggested associations between paraspinal muscle size and composition (e.g., fatty infiltration) and spinal pain, pathology, physical function, and surgical outcomes, important limitations with regards to understanding causation remain. Furthermore, can targeted therapeutic interventions modify spinal muscle composition, and if so, what type(s)? Clarifications are also needed with respect to time-dependent structural and functional muscle changes, treatment approaches at different times, the importance of psychological factors, and age-related muscle alterations in asymptomatic people.

Given the importance that imaging can have for improving our understanding of the role and clinical implications of paraspinal muscle health in spinal pain, journal Medicina is launching this Special Issue.

We encourage you and your co-workers to submit your articles reporting on this topic. We welcome the submission of reviews and original articles dealing with methodological considerations such as the standardization of imaging measurements, as well as longitudinal studies exploring and establishing causal relationships. In addition, we warmly invite you to submit articles reporting on the evidence and expectations from targeted therapeutic interventions, with a special focus on individualized approaches.

Dr. Maryse Fortin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

MRI
Ultrasound
Musculoskeletal imaging
Multifidus
Paraspinal muscle
Muscle
Low back pain
Cervical pain
Rehabilitation
Exercise therapy

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Other

11 pages, 2760 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lumbar Multifidus Muscle Morphology Changes in Patient with Different Degrees of Lumbar Disc Herniation: An Ultrasonographic Study

by Neda Naghdi, Mohammad Ali Mohseni-Bandpei, Morteza Taghipour and Nahid Rahmani

Medicina 2021, 57(7), 699; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57070699 - 8 Jul 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4419

Abstract

Background and Objective: Previous studies demonstrated that the prevalence of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is relatively high. This investigation aimed to evaluate the size of lumbar multifidus (LM) muscle in patients with different degrees of LDH compared to healthy group, during rest and contraction, using ultrasonography. Materials and Methods: In this non-experimental, analytic, and case control study, ultrasound imaging was used to assess cross-sectional area (CSA) and thickness of the LM muscle in 15 healthy subjects and 60 patients with different stages of LDH (bulging group = 15, protrusion group = 15, extrusion group = 15, sequestration group = 15). Measurements were taken bilaterally at the L4–L5 level, during rest and contraction and results were compared between groups. Results: There was a significant difference between healthy subjects and the extrusion and sequestration groups during rest and contraction for LM muscle CSA and thickness (p = 0.001), as LM muscle CSA and thickness were significantly smaller in extrusion and sequestration patient groups compared to healthy subjects. LM atrophy was greater in patients with extrusion and sequestration groups than in patients with bulging and protrusion, both at rest and during contraction. Significant correlations were also observed between functional disability and intensity of pain with LM CSA and thickness measurements. Conclusions: Patients with extrusion and sequestration LDH had smaller LM muscle at rest and during contraction compared to healthy subjects. Larger LDH lesions were associated with decreased LM muscle size. Patient with more pain, disability, and extrusion and sequestration LDH had greater LM size changes. LM muscle size was not correlated with symptom duration. Further investigation with greater sample size is warranted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Musculoskeletal Spine Imaging and Rehabilitation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2705 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ultrasound Imaging Analysis of the Lumbar Multifidus Muscle Echo Intensity: Intra-Rater and Inter-Rater Reliability of a Novice and an Experienced Rater

by Maryse Fortin, Brent Rosenstein, Jerome Levesque and Neil Nandlall

Medicina 2021, 57(5), 512; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57050512 - 20 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2732

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Ultrasound echo intensity (EI) of the lumbar multifidus muscle (LMM) could offer valuable insights regarding muscle quality in people with low back pain (LBP). However, whether the rater’s experience noticeably influences the reliability and precision of LMM EI measurements has not been established. The aims of this study were to investigate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of LMM EI measurements, and to compare the reliability and SEM between a novice and an experienced rater. Materials and Methods: Twenty athletes (10 females, 10 males) with a history of LBP were included in this study. Transverse ultrasound images of LMM were taken at L5 in prone. LMM EI measurements were obtained bilaterally by tracing the maximum ROI representing the LMM cross-sectional area (CSA), avoiding the inclusion of bone or surrounding fascia. All measurements were performed by two novice raters and an experienced researcher. Each measurement was acquired by each rater three times for each side on three different images, and the average was used in the analyses. Raters were blinded to each other’s measurements and the participant’s clinical information. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were obtained to assess the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability. Results: The intra-rater ICC values for the LMM measurements for the experienced rater were excellent (ICC all > 0.997). The inter-rater reliability ICC values showed moderate to excellent reliability (0.614 to 0.994) and agreement between the novice raters and the experienced rater, except for Novice 1 for the right LMM, which revealed lower ICCs and a wider 95% CI. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability results were similar when separately looking at the right and left side of the muscle and participant gender. Conclusions: Our findings support the clinical use of ultrasound imaging for the assessment of LMM EI in individuals with LBP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Musculoskeletal Spine Imaging and Rehabilitation)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

10 pages, 2536 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

A Thoracic Outlet Syndrome That Concealed a Glioblastoma. Findings from a Case Report

by Lorenzo Storari, Manuel Signorini, Valerio Barbari, Firas Mourad, Mattia Bisconti, Mattia Salomon, Giacomo Rossettini and Filippo Maselli

Medicina 2021, 57(9), 908; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57090908 - 30 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5303

Abstract

Background: Glioblastoma is the most frequent and aggressive malignant brain tumor among adults. Unfortunately, its symptoms can vary considerably depending on the size, location and the anatomic structures of the involved brain. Case report: A 58-year-old male amateur cyclist who suffered from sharp arm pain was examined for a thoracic outlet syndrome due to a previous clavicle fracture. Because of ambiguous results of the neck and nerve plexus imaging, he was referred to a neurosurgeon who properly suspected a brain tumor. The neuroimaging of the brain shown a 3 cm disploriferative mass with a blood enhancement within the left parietal lobe. The mass was urgently removed, and its histologic analysis stated a grade 4 glioblastoma. Conclusion: This case report highlights the differential diagnosis process and the teamwork approach needed to diagnose a rare presentation of a brain glioblastoma, which started its symptoms mimicking a thoracic outlet syndrome caused by a previous bone fracture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Musculoskeletal Spine Imaging and Rehabilitation)

► Show Figures