Faculty Bibliography

Chronic pain is a leading health care problem with a wide range of physical and psychosocial outcomes. This report reviews the key intake findings of the first 227 patients admitted to a comprehensive inpatient/outpatient program for the treatment of chronic pain. Key trends in the data which suggest the different presentations of the chronic pain syndrome are highlighted and indications for future research are given

A survey of office workers at four sites was conducted by Columbia University School of Public Health during 1981 and 1982 to explore the relationships between office working conditions and employee health. Walk through surveys of each site were conducted by the research team with joint labor-management sponsorship. A total of 2074 non-managerial office workers filled out a 30-minute self-administered questionnaire at their respective workplaces. Multiple item scales were tested and constructed to measure indoor air quality and ergonomic factors. Significant differences in ergonomic conditions and air quality between the sites were observed. These differences corresponded with researcher observations prior to the surveys. Significant associations between the reported air quality and respiratory symptoms and between ergonomic factors and musculoskeletal symptoms were found. Specificity of the relationship between reports about the environment and health symptoms was demonstrated. The implications of this approach for industrial hygiene investigations of non-industrial environments are discussed

Patients undergoing laminectomy face a variety of concerns both pre- and postoperatively which may affect their emotional state and increase surgical risk. A case study of a laminectomy patient who was taught hypnosis for the control of preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain is presented. The benefits of such hypnotic intervention, as well as the long-term effects of hypnotic intervention on a patient who is in a crisis period are discussed

Proponents of the surface stimulation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis have reported approximately 75-85% success rates in arresting progressive curvatures. Although encouraging, these results do not appear to be better than those of the more traditional brace programs. Now recognizing electrical stimulation as a viable alternative to bracing, supporters have advocated the psychologic and physical freedom with electrical stimulation as a major advantage over brace treatment. However, to date, there have been no objective psychologic studies to substantiate these claims. This prospective study was devised to detect any significant differences between a group of patients treated in a TLSO or Milwaukee brace and a group of patients treated with lateral electrical surface stimulation (LESS) (ScoliTron). The study consisted of 40 female private patients with idiopathic scoliosis treated for a minimum of 3 months. Each patient was given a set of seven standardized psychologic tests and an observer rating by the treating physician or physical therapist working with the patient. Results of the Psychological Epidemiology Research Interview (PERI) revealed that the LESS group had significantly higher self esteem than the brace group. The brace patients demonstrated a much greater perception of directed hostility than the LESS group. The coping response inventory showed the brace group to manifest a more primitive coping mechanism than the LESS group. The brace group attempted to avoid problems associated with their disease, rather than cope with them as the LESS group was better able to do. The brace group focused more on their emotions than the realistic problems of their disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)