Project description:BackgroundThe aims of this study were (i) to investigate the potential influence of pre-pregnancy regular leisure-time physical activity (PA) on the risk of persistent LBPP half a year after pregnancy, and (ii) to explore the starting time and prevalence of PA among women experiencing LBPP during pregnancy, in relation to remission or persistent LBPP half a year after pregnancy.MethodsThis study is a follow-up study of 639 women who reported LBPP during pregnancy. These women were sent a questionnaire at approximately six months after delivery. The respondents were divided into three groups: 'no pain', 'recurrent pain', and 'continuous pain'. Data were analysed using an independent samples t-test, Pearson's chi-squared test, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Results44.5% of subjects reported current PA at six months post partum. The mean starting time of PA was 2.6 months post partum and the mean number of current, weekly events of PA was 3.4; there were no differences between the groups. 82.2% reported previous PA at some period in life. Women with BMI >/= 30 reported current PA to a lesser extent. The number of years of pre-pregnancy PA did not influence the risk of persistent LBPP.ConclusionAlmost half of women who had experienced LBPP during pregnancy reported PA at six months post partum. The number of years of pre-pregnancy PA did not influence the risk of persistent LBPP. Obesity was a risk factor for not practising PA.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:To assess the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for pelvic girdle and low back pain (PGLBP) during pregnancy. DESIGN:Pragmatic-open-label randomised controlled trial. SETTING:Five maternity hospitals. POPULATION:Pregnant women with PGLBP. METHOD:1:1 randomization to standard care or standard care plus acupuncture (5 sessions by an acupuncturist midwife). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:Efficacy: proportion of days with self-assessed pain by numerical rating scale (NRS) ? 4/10. Cost effectiveness (societal viewpoint, time horizon: pregnancy): incremental cost per days with NRS ? 4/10. Indirect non-healthcare costs included daily compensations for sick leave and productivity loss caused by absenteeism or presenteeism. RESULTS:96 women were allocated to acupuncture and 103 to standard care (total 199). The proportion of days with NRS ? 4/10 was greater in the acupuncture group than in the standard care group (61% vs 48%, p = 0.007). The mean Oswestry disability score was lower in the acupuncture group than with standard care alone (33 versus 38, ? = 5, 95% CI: 0.8 to 9, p = 0.02). Average total costs were higher in the control group (€2947) than in the acupuncture group (€2635, ? = -€312, 95% CI: -966 to +325), resulting from the higher indirect costs of absenteeism and presenteeism. Acupuncture was a dominant strategy when both healthcare and non-healthcare costs were included. Costs for the health system (employer and out-of-pocket costs excluded) were slightly higher for acupuncture (€1512 versus €1452, ? = €60, 95% CI: -272 to +470). CONCLUSION:Acupuncture was a dominant strategy when accounting for employer costs. A 100% probability of cost-effectiveness was obtained for a willingness to pay of €100 per days with pain NRS ? 4.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Although poor standing posture is a known cause of low back pain, the mechanisms involved are unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the kinetic and posture angle features of standing posture that might influence low back pain. METHODS:Sixty-seven young men were enrolled in this cross-sectional case-control study and were categorized according to whether they did or did not have low back pain. Habitual standing posture was assessed in each group, using a three-dimensional motion analysis system, force plates, and a spinal mouse. Kinetic and posture angle factors were compared between participants with and without low back pain. The relationship between specific features of standing posture and low back pain was analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS:The intervertebral disc compressive force and the low back moment were significantly greater in the group with low back pain than in the group without low back pain. The intervertebral disc compressive force was the factor most strongly associated with low back pain during static standing. CONCLUSIONS:Logistic regression analysis identified intervertebral disc compressive force as an independent variable associated with low back pain. This finding suggests that increased intervertebral disc compressive force may promote development of low back pain in standing posture.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Recent evidence suggests that physical therapy interventions targeting the hips may improve outcomes, including pain and disability, for patients with low back pain (LBP). Currently, there is conflicting data in regard to whether an individual with LBP needs to have a concurrent hip impairment in order to respond to this approach. The purpose of this clinical trial will be to determine the short and long-term effectiveness of physical therapy interventions directed at the lumbar spine only, versus lumbar spine and hip(s), in individuals with a primary complaint of LBP with a concurrent hip impairment. METHODS:A multi-center, randomized controlled trial of 76 adult individuals with a primary complaint of LBP, who also have at least one concurrent hip impairment. Participants will be randomized into the 'LBP only' or 'LBP+Hip' group. Treatment to the low back in both groups will be a pragmatic approach consisting of interventions targeting the low back without targeting the hip(s). Participants randomized to the LBP+Hip group will also receive a semi-prescriptive set of manual therapy and exercise techniques that target the hips. The primary outcome measures will be the modified Oswestry Disability Index and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale at discharge. DISCUSSION:These two treatment strategies are commonly utilized in physical therapy practice, but there is uncertainty which is superior. This trial will also help to provide a better understanding of the role of concurrent hip impairments in LBP. TRIAL REGISTRATION:This trial has been prospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ID# NCT03550014, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03550014) on June 7, 2018.
Project description:BackgroundBack pain is a widespread health problem that accounts for substantial disability and high costs. The workplace is considered to critically affect the occurrence and persistence of back pain and therefore offers an important opportunity for preventive interventions. Various work-related intervention strategies including both single- and multicomponent interventions have been developed and evaluated so far. To determine their effectiveness, a method of analysis is needed that particularly meets the challenges of the multidimensionality and diversity of these interventions. This planned systematic review and network meta-analysis aims to compare the effects of different work-related interventions for preventing non-specific back pain in people within a formal employment-related context.MethodsWe will search the following databases: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, and Academic Search Premier from their inception onwards, as well as additional sources. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs will be considered if they (1) include people within a formal employment-related context, (2) include people without back pain or mixed samples (i.e., people with and without back pain), (3) compare one or more work-related preventive intervention(s) to a control condition, and (4) assess non-specific back pain (incidence or/and pain intensity), ability to work (numbers of participants or/and numbers of days absent from work), intervention-related adverse events or/and self-reported satisfaction with the intervention. Random-effects pairwise meta-analyses and frequentist network meta-analyses will be conducted where appropriate. We will calculate summary effect sizes for each comparison of interventions and rank interventions according to their P scores. If feasible, we will conduct additional component network meta-analyses. We plan to conduct subgroup analyses for job exposure, intervention duration, baseline back pain, different localizations of back pain, and gender. Risk of bias will be assessed using RoB 2 and the certainty of the evidence will be rated using the GRADE approach.DiscussionThis systematic review aims to identify work-related intervention strategies as well as components within work-related interventions that are effective for preventing back pain. We expect the results to provide guidance for selecting the most promising interventions and foster the purposeful use of resources. Additionally, they may inform the development and implementation of work-related interventions as well as the design of future research in this field.Trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42021232469.
Project description:BACKGROUND CONTEXT:Mobilization and manipulation therapies are widely used to benefit patients with chronic low back pain. However, questions remain about their efficacy, dosing, safety, and how these approaches compare with other therapies. PURPOSE:The present study aims to determine the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of various mobilization and manipulation therapies for treatment of chronic low back pain. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING:This is a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. OUTCOME MEASURES:The present study measures self-reported pain, function, health-related quality of life, and adverse events. METHODS:We identified studies by searching multiple electronic databases from January 2000 to March 2017, examining reference lists, and communicating with experts. We selected randomized controlled trials comparing manipulation or mobilization therapies with sham, no treatment, other active therapies, and multimodal therapeutic approaches. We assessed risk of bias using Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network criteria. Where possible, we pooled data using random-effects meta-analysis. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was applied to determine the confidence in effect estimates. This project is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health under Award Number U19AT007912. RESULTS:Fifty-one trials were included in the systematic review. Nine trials (1,176 patients) provided sufficient data and were judged similar enough to be pooled for meta-analysis. The standardized mean difference for a reduction of pain was SMD=-0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.47 to -0.09, p=.004; I2=57% after treatment; within seven trials (923 patients), the reduction in disability was SMD=-0.33, 95% CI -0.63 to -0.03, p=.03; I2=78% for manipulation or mobilization compared with other active therapies. Subgroup analyses showed that manipulation significantly reduced pain and disability, compared with other active comparators including exercise and physical therapy (SMD=-0.43, 95% CI -0.86 to 0.00; p=.05, I2=79%; SMD=-0.86, 95% CI -1.27 to -0.45; p<.0001, I2=46%). Mobilization interventions, compared with other active comparators including exercise regimens, significantly reduced pain (SMD=-0.20, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.04; p=.01; I2=0%) but not disability (SMD=-0.10, 95% CI -0.28 to 0.07; p=.25; I2=21%). Studies comparing manipulation or mobilization with sham or no treatment were too few or too heterogeneous to allow for pooling as were studies examining relationships between dose and outcomes. Few studies assessed health-related quality of life. Twenty-six of 51 trials were multimodal studies and narratively described. CONCLUSION:There is moderate-quality evidence that manipulation and mobilization are likely to reduce pain and improve function for patients with chronic low back pain; manipulation appears to produce a larger effect than mobilization. Both therapies appear safe. Multimodal programs may be a promising option.
Project description:The present study examined the profile of physical and psychosocial changes that occur in physiotherapy intervention when patients also participate in a psychosocial intervention. The psychosocial intervention, delivered by physiotherapists, was designed to target catastrophic thinking, fear of pain, perceived disability, and depression.The study sample consisted of 48 individuals referred for the rehabilitation treatment of disabling back pain. Half the sample was enrolled in a physiotherapy intervention only; the other half was enrolled in a psychosocial intervention in addition to receiving a physiotherapy intervention.At post-treatment, the two treatment groups did not differ significantly on measures of pain severity, physical function, or self-reported disability. Patients who participated in the psychosocial intervention in addition to physiotherapy showed significantly greater reductions in pain catastrophizing, fear of movement, and depression than patients who received only the physiotherapy intervention. Reductions in psychosocial risk factors contributed to reduced use of the health care system, reduced use of pain medication, and improved return-to-work outcomes.The findings of the present study suggest that a psychosocial intervention provided by physiotherapists can lead to meaningful reductions in psychosocial risk factors for pain and disability and may contribute to more positive rehabilitation outcomes.
Project description:BackgroundThe STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST) is used to stratify care. It is unclear if the SBST approach works as well for patients in low- and medium-income countries as for patients from high-income countries.Objectives(1) To investigate whether patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) stratified by the SBST are different at baseline; (2) to describe the clinical course for each SBST subgroup; (3) to investigate the SBST utility to predict clinical outcomes; and (4) to determine which SBST subgroup show greater clinical improvement.DesignThis is a secondary analysis of data derived from a previously published clinical trial.Methods148 patients with chronic nonspecific LBP were included. Pain intensity, disability, global perceived effect, and the SBST were assessed at baseline and at 5, 12, and 24 weeks after baseline. Descriptive data were provided and ANOVA, unadjusted and adjusted regression models, and linear mixed models were used for data analysis.ResultsDuration of symptoms, use of medication, pain, disability, and global perceived effect were different between SBST subgroups. Clinical improvements over a 6-month period were consistently greater in patients classified as high risk. The SBST was able to predict disability but this predictability decreased when the analysis was adjusted for possible confounders.ConclusionClinical outcomes were different between SBST subgroups over 6 months. Adjusting for confounders influenced the predictability of SBST. Patients classified as high risk presented higher improvements in terms of disability.