Musculoskeletal care
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Musculoskeletal care · Jan 2005
How effective is physiotherapy in the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome type I? A review of the literature.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating pain disorder for which patients commonly receive physiotherapy. The objective of this literature review is to assess how effective physiotherapy is in the management of adult and childhood CRPS type I. An electronic literature search was performed of the databases AMED, Cinahl, Embase, Ovid Medline, Pubmed, PEDro and PsycINFO, from their inception to November 2004. ⋯ The review suggests that exercise, motor imagery and mirror feedback exercises, relaxation techniques, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, transcutaneous nerve stimulation and combined treatment programmes may help in the treatment of CRPS type I. However, since numerous methodological weaknesses (e.g. small sample sizes, not employing control groups, not evaluating findings against statistical tests) littered the limited literature, it was not possible to determine the effectiveness of individual treatments. Recommendations are made to develop the evidence base.
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Musculoskeletal care · Sep 2003
ReviewAn evidence-based approach to the management of low back pain and sciatica: how the evidence is applied in clinical cases.
Low back pain and sciatica are common complaints that affect a major proportion of the population at some time in their lives. The treatment and management of this condition may vary widely. ⋯ A patient-focused strategy combining best evidence and clinical expertise is suggested as the mainstay for the management of low back pain.