Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · May 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialEffectiveness of medial-wedge insole treatment for valgus knee osteoarthritis.
To assess the efficacy of medial-wedge insoles in valgus knee osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ The use of medial-wedge insoles was highly effective in reducing pain at rest and on movement and promoted a functional improvement of valgus knee OA.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · May 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyGraded activity for workers with low back pain: who benefits most and how does it work?
To identify subgroups of workers absent from work due to low back pain who are more or less likely to return to work earlier as a result of a graded activity intervention, and to investigate whether this intervention is effective in reducing pain-related fears and if so, whether these reductions in pain-related fears mediate return to work. ⋯ Workers who perceive their disability to be moderate and workers with moderate scores for fear-avoidance beliefs return to work more rapidly as a result of the graded activity intervention than workers with higher scores. The return to work of workers receiving the graded activity intervention is possibly independent from the reductions in pain-related fears caused by this intervention.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · May 2008
Comparative StudyMeasuring health in patients with fibromyalgia: content comparison of questionnaires based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
To analyze the content of outcome measures commonly used to assess health in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) by linking the items of the instruments with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in order to evaluate the adequacy of currently used measures. ⋯ Many concepts were linked to the categories in the ICF component body functions. While linking to the broad category, purportedly similar instruments often covered widely varying areas of function at more fine-grained levels of detail. Some categories, such as environmental factors, were barely covered by any of the instruments and might constitute an important aspect of health deserving better coverage and future development.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · May 2008
A primary care back pain screening tool: identifying patient subgroups for initial treatment.
To develop and validate a tool that screens for back pain prognostic indicators relevant to initial decision making in primary care. ⋯ We validated a brief screening tool, which is a promising instrument for identifying subgroups of patients to guide the provision of early secondary prevention in primary care. Further work will establish whether allocation to treatment subgroups using the tool, linked with targeting treatment appropriately, improves patient outcomes.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · May 2008
Comparative StudyThinking about movement hurts: the effect of motor imagery on pain and swelling in people with chronic arm pain.
Chronic painful disease is associated with pain on movement, which is presumed to be caused by noxious stimulation. We investigated whether motor imagery, in the absence of movement, increases symptoms in patients with chronic arm pain. ⋯ Motor imagery increased pain and swelling in patients with chronic painful disease of the arm. The effect increased in line with the duration of symptoms and seems to be modulated by autonomic arousal and beliefs about pain and movement. The results highlight the contribution of cortical mechanisms to pain on movement, which has implications for treatment.