PURPOSE: Physical rehabilitation is one of the major forms of treatment of @entity1643 . The ability of some @entity1 to cooperate is limited by @entity158 . Since 1992 continuous epidural @entity1337 has been combined with a physical rehabilitation programme for @entity1 with @entity1643 who have been unable to make progress with conventional physical rehabilitation due to severity of @entity158 . METHOD: This study reports a series of 46 consecutive @entity1 with @entity615 admitted over a 6 month period to a 5-day inpatient rehabilitation programme. A lumbar epidural catheter was inserted and @entity1341 0.125% was infused at a rate that produced @entity1337 without sensory or motor deficit over a period of 5 days. An intensive mobilizing physiotherapy programme was instituted. Physical and psychological parameters were measured on day 1, after 1 week, after 1 month and after 1 year. RESULTS: Time to complete a 50 m walk, time from sitting to standing, and spinal flexion were improved at 1 week and 1 month, but only time to complete the walk remained improved at 1 year. In Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire 28 scores were improved for social dysfunction, somatic symptoms, @entity148 and @entity22 , and @entity308 , at 1 week and 1 month but only social dysfunction remained improved at 1 year. Using a Visual Analogue @entity158 ratings were unaltered after 1 year. CONCLUSION: Continuous 5 day epidural @entity1337 combined with intensive physiotherapy may offer a means of initial rehabilitation of @entity1643 . The initial benefit was most marked at 1 week, with benefit still evident after 1 month. However, the benefit decreased with time. This technique may be of value as part of a more comprehensive programme of physical and psychological rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation of XXXX using continuous epidural @entity1337 .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity1643 :: ('MESH:D017116', 'Disease') :: ['chronic low back pain'] @entity308 :: ('MESH:D003866', 'Disease') :: ['depression'] @entity1337 :: ('MESH:D000699', 'Disease') :: ['analgesia'] @entity615 :: ('MESH:D001416', 'Disease') :: ['chronic back pain'] @entity1341 :: ('MESH:D002045', 'Chemical') :: ['bupivacaine'] @entity148 :: ('MESH:D001008', 'Disease') :: ['anxiety'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['Scale pain', 'pain'] @entity22 :: ('MESH:D007319', 'Disease') :: ['insomnia']
@entity1643 :: (MESH:D017116,Disease) :: ['chronic low back pain']
