Numbness in the soles of both feet at rest or bowel/bladder dysfunction can occur in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), especially in patients with cauda equina lesions. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between cauda equina symptoms at rest and quality of life (QOL) in LSS patients using standardized questionnaires developed for the Japanese population. A survey was conducted in 564 hospitals and general practice clinics nationwide from December 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012. All patients who visited hospital or clinic because of low back pain were included. Patients were diagnosed with LSS using the LSS-Diagnostic Support Tool (LSS-DST), and the severity of the disease was measured using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) for quality of life. Presence of both sole numbness and/or bowel/bladder dysfunction were determined by medical interview. 3647 patients were diagnosed with LSS according to the results of the LSS-DST. 1294 of these patients (35.5%) had symptoms at rest. Of these patients, 359 patients with sole numbness, 135 patients with bowel/bladder dysfunction, and 52 patients with both numbness and bowel/bladder dysfunction were compared to the patients without rest symptoms (n = 2182). Comparisons between groups with or without sole numbness and bowel/bladder dysfunction were performed using statistical analysis of JOABPEQ responses in the categories of pain-related disorder, lumbar spine disorder, gait disturbance, social life disturbance, and psychological disorder. All groups with sole numbness and/or bowel/bladder dysfunction had statistically lower (worse) scores in all categories of the JOABPEQ compared to the group without these symptoms at rest. LSS patients having numbness in the soles of both feet at rest or bowel/bladder dysfunction had lower measurements of QOL and activities of daily living than those patients without symptoms at rest. These symptoms appear to be related to QOL of LSS patients.

An experimental study on mechanical allodynia, c-Fos expression, and 200-kDa-neurofilament immunoreactive (IR) afferent expression in the substantia gelatinosa related to compression of dorsal root ganglion (DRG). To evaluate the presence of allodynia in DRG compression model and to demonstrate that the structural changes of spinal dorsal horn related to DRG compression. A previous experimental report has demonstrated that the peripheral nerve injury may trigger some structural changes of the superficial spinal dorsal horn. These changes of the spinal dorsal horn were thought to be important for the modulation of pain sensations such as allodynia. Sixty-eight male rats were used. The left L5 lamina was exposed and a drill hole was made in it. A stainless rod was placed close to the left L5 DRG through the drill hole. Behavioral testing with von Frey filament was performed. On day 28 after surgery, c-Fos expression in the spinal dorsal horn by non-noxious stimulation was examined. L5 spinal cord and bilateral L5 DRG specimens were stained with antibody for 200-kDa neurofilament (RT97). In addition, 2 or 3 spinal cord sections per rats were processed for immunoelectron microscopy. In the DRG compression group, the mechanical withdrawal threshold was decreased, c-Fos expression by non-noxious stimulation was observed in the spinal dorsal horn, and there were many RT97-IR afferents in the superficial spinal dorsal horn. Immunoelectron microscopic observations showed that RT97-IR terminals made synaptic contact with neurons in the superficial spinal dorsal horn. There were no significant differences in the distribution of RT97-IR neurons in DRG between compression and sham group. DRG compression induced allodynia and that RT97-IR afferents increased in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The increase of RT97-IR afferents may be related to the mechanisms for the observed allodynia.

Purpose: With spinal deformities, mental health can deteriorate due to sagittal imbalance of the spine. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between sagittal imbalance and symptoms of depression among local residents in the community. Methods: This study used data from the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcomes in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS) in 2010. The sagittal vertical axis (SVA) was identified as an indicator of sagittal imbalance. Symptoms of depression were assessed using the 5-item version of the Mental Health Inventory. Participants were classified into three categories based on the SVA balance as normal (< 40 mm), moderate imbalance (40–95 mm), and severe imbalance (> 95 mm). To evaluate the relationship between sagittal imbalance of the spine and symptoms of depression, the adjusted risk ratio (RR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a generalized linear model with Poisson link. Results: There were 786 participants included in the statistical analysis. Overall, the mean age was 68.1 y (standard deviation, 8.8 y), and 39.4% were men. The prevalence of symptoms of depression by SVA category was 18.6% for normal, 23.8% for moderate, and 40.6% for severe. On multivariate analysis, the RR of SVA for symptoms of depression compared to the normal category was 1.12 (95% CI 0.7–1.70) for the moderate category and 2.29 (95% CI 1.01–5.17) for the severe category. Conclusion: In local community residents, sagittal imbalance had a significant association with symptoms of depression.

Purpose: Early diagnosis of degenerative cervical spondylosis (DCM) is desirable because late treatment can lead to irreversible sequelae. No screening method has yet been established. Grip strength is commonly used in primary care settings to evaluate disease activity and diagnose sarcopenia. This single-center, cross-sectional study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of grip strength for cervical myelopathy (DCM) and cutoff values for primary care DCM screening using area under the curve (AUC) and sensitivity values. Patients and Methods: The DCM group comprised 249 consecutive participants (165 males, 84 females; mean age, 65.1 years) with DCM who had undergone surgery at the affiliated hospital. The control group comprised 735 (280 males, 455 females; mean age, 65.8 years) participants undertaking a local government health checkup. Stratifying by age and sex, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were constructed for each group using minimum grip strength values for both hands. Based on ROC analysis, cut-off values were established so that the screening sensitivity would be 90% for either sex or age group, respectively. Results: According to age group and sex (males/females [M/F]), AUC values for a diagnosis of DCM in M/F were as follows: 40– 59 years, 0.92/0.87; 60– 69 years, 0.94/0.89; 70– 79 years, 0.89/0.91; and 80– 89 years, 0.97/0.97. Calculated M/F cutoff values were 41/24.5, 27/16, 27/15, and 20/10 kg, which were similar to cutoff scores for sarcopenia in M/F patients aged 60– 69 and 70– 79 years. M/F sensitivities in each age groups were 0.94/0.91, 0.92/0.90, 0.95/0.96, and 0.92/0.93. M/F specificities were 0.62/0.59, 0.84/0.83, 0.61/0.71, and 0.83/0.88. Conclusion: Grip strength had moderate-to-high diagnostic accuracy for DCM between participants in the control and DCM groups. We developed easily applicable cutoff values for primary care DCM screening with ≥ 90% sensitivity. In patients with sarcopenia, DCM should be differentially diagnosed in primary care.