Physical therapy
-
Multicenter Study
Screening for elevated levels of fear-avoidance beliefs regarding work or physical activities in people receiving outpatient therapy.
Screening people for elevated levels of fear-avoidance beliefs is uncommon, but elevated levels of fear could worsen outcomes. Developing short screening tools might reduce the data collection burden and facilitate screening, which could prompt further testing or management strategy modifications to improve outcomes. ⋯ The lack of differential item functioning in the FABQ scales in the sample tested in this study suggested that FABQ screening could be useful in routine clinical practice and allowed the development of single-item screening for fear-avoidance beliefs that accurately identified subjects with elevated levels of fear. Because screening was accurate and efficient, single IRT-based FABQ screening items are recommended to facilitate improved evaluation and care of heterogeneous populations of people receiving outpatient rehabilitation.
-
Little is known about chronic low back pain (CLBP) in combination with widespread musculoskeletal pain (WMP). ⋯ Patients with CLBP and WMP should be examined for indicated physical and psychosocial factors. Therapeutic management should consider them in the early stage of the disease. These findings also might apply to patients with fibromyalgia or myofascial pain.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Manual therapy, exercise, and traction for patients with cervical radiculopathy: a randomized clinical trial.
To date, optimal strategies for the management of patients with cervical radiculopathy remain elusive. Preliminary evidence suggests that a multimodal treatment program consisting of manual therapy, exercise, and cervical traction may result in positive outcomes for patients with cervical radiculopathy. However, limited evidence exists to support the use of mechanical cervical traction in patients with cervical radiculopathy. ⋯ The results suggest that the addition of mechanical cervical traction to a multimodal treatment program of manual therapy and exercise yields no significant additional benefit to pain, function, or disability in patients with cervical radiculopathy.
-
Increasing evidence supports the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with chronic pain. ⋯ Although only a minority of physical therapists reported use of some CBT techniques when treating older patients with chronic pain, their interest in incorporating these techniques into practice is substantial. Concerns with their skill level using the techniques, time constraints, and reimbursement constitute barriers to use of the interventions.
-
Case Reports
Ergonomic intervention in the treatment of a patient with upper extremity and neck pain.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are widespread among computer users and costly to the health care system. Workstation setup and worker postures contribute to upper-extremity and neck symptoms among computer users. Ergonomic interventions such as work risk analysis and workstation modifications can improve workers' symptoms. However, ergonomic interventions do not appear to be a common component of traditional physical therapy treatment. ⋯ This case report demonstrates the importance of examining the work habits and work-related postures of a patient who complains of upper-extremity and neck pain that is exacerbated by work. Providing an ergonomic intervention in concert with traditional physical therapy may be the most beneficial course of treatment.