Introduction:. “Spine Class” was organised at Southport Hospitals NHS Trust. The course was awarded 6 CPD (Continuing Professional Development) points. We propose a new method for assessing the effectiveness of educational courses by pre and post testing and participant satisfaction. Materials and Methods. The course was attended by 64 delegates (49 Allied Health Professionals e.g. Physiotherapists and 15 Physicians). 21 lectures were planned for the day. The lecturers were asked to submit 2 True/False questions (TFQs), a total of 42 questions. Questions were answered prior to the course and immediately after. The lectures were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5. Results. Data was available from 45 delegates (35 Allied Health Professionals, 10 Physicians). The mean pre course score was 25.49 and the mean post course score was 32.69 (P< 0.01). The difference between the post course and the pre course scores quantified the knowledge gained. No correlation existed between the knowledge gained and the mean course evaluation (R = 0.449). Allied Health professionals gained more knowledge (mean = 7.97) than Physicians (mean = 4.60) (P = 0.048). The Allied Health Professionals evaluated the course (mean = 4.31) better than the Physicians (mean = 3.79) (P < 0.01). Conclusions. The results show that “Spine Class” educated everyone. We demonstrated that TFQs are an effective way to assess knowledge. Lecture satisfaction should not affect how a course is rated due to the “Dr Fox” effect. Using a bank of True-False questions before and after a course enhances learning

Purpose. To determine, for the first time, how back pain is portrayed in the United Kingdom press. Methods and Results. LexisNexisTM Professional search engine was utilised to retrieve articles from all national newspapers over a six months containing the terms “back pain/backpain/back ache/backache” from May to October 2009. 284 relevant articles were retrieved. Of these tabloids accounted for 62% and broadsheets for 38%. Back pain was the sole topic in 7%, a main topic in 18% and mentioned in passing in 75%. 15% were essentially case reports and the tone was neutral in 95%, positive in 2.5% and negative in 2.5%. The cause of back pain was mentioned in 11% of articles- trauma accounted for 50% and disc disease and spinal deformity for 20% each. Only 0.3% of articles discussed litigation. Articles mentioned new physiotherapy regimes in 7%, new forms of alternative therapy in 7%, new surgical techniques/technologies in 2% and new medications in 1%. They were significantly more likely to mention new non-surgical techniques- Fishers' Exact Test p=0.01. Articles were alternative therapy related in 3%, physiotherapist related in 2%, surgeon related in 1% and pain specialist related in 1%. 10% of papers included a quote from an “expert” of which 23% were Spine Surgeons, 16% GP's, 13% Sports Physicians, 13% alternative therapists, 10% pain specialists and 7% physiotherapists. Overall, 98% of articles were of a neutral tone and 1% were of a positive tone or negative tone. Articles concerning physiotherapists or new surgical techniques/technologies were significantly more likely to be of a positive overall tone than the other articles- Fishers' Exact Test p=0.04. Conclusions. Back pain receives a considerable amount of attention in the United Kingdom press. Much of this currently concentrates on isolated case reports, the aetiology of back pain is poorly represented, quoted “experts” are frequently non-medical and new surgical treatments receive significantly less attention than new non-surgical treatments. The press play an important role in educating and informing the general public. The stories they cover ad how they cover them have a powerful influence on public perceptions. We need to do more to engage with the press and positively influence their reportage

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The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of repeat epidural steroid injections as a form of treatment for patients with insufficiently controlled or recurrent radicular pain due to a lumbar or cervical disc herniation.

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The aim of this study was to determine if positive Waddell signs were related to patients’ demographics or to perception of their quality of life.

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To evaluate the incidence of primary venous thromboembolism (VTE), epidural haematoma, surgical site infection (SSI), and 90-day mortality after elective spinal surgery, and the effect of two protocols for prophylaxis.