BACKGROUND Physical therapy decreases low back pain, improves function, and may lead to decreased use of medical services. However, factors predicting physical therapy utilization for patients with low back pain are not well understood. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of out-of-pocket expenditure on physical therapy utilization for US adults with nonspecific lo...

Based on a hypothesis that interleukin 1 (IL-1) activity is associated with low back pain (LBP), we investigated relationships between previously described functional IL-1 gene polymorphisms and LBP. The subjects were a subgroup of a Finnish study cohort. The IL-1alpha(C(889)-T), IL-1beta(C(3954)-T) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN)(G(1812)-A, G(1887)-C and T(11100)-C) polymorphisms were ge...

STUDY DESIGN An international group of back pain researchers considered recommendations for standardized measures in clinical outcomes research in patients with back pain. OBJECTIVES To promote more standardization of outcome measurement in clinical trials and other types of outcomes research, including meta-analyses, cost-effectiveness analyses, and multicenter studies. SUMMARY OF BACKGROU...

BACKGROUND Multidisciplinary intervention is recommended for rehabilitation of employees sick-listed for 4-12 weeks due to low back pain (LBP). However, comparison of a brief and a multidisciplinary intervention in a randomised comparative trial of sick-listed employees showed similar return to work (RTW) rates in the two groups. The aim of the present study was to identify subgroups, primarily...

BACKGROUND Low back pain (LBP) is the most costly ailment in the work force. Risky work behaviour and psychological stress are established risk factors. AIMS To explore the associations between workplace risk factors, psychological stress and LBP among Malaysian railway workers. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out on railway workers in Malaysia. Socio-demographics, workplace ris...

Discomfort during load carriage is a major issue for activities using backpacks (e.g. infantry maneuvers, children carrying school supplies, or outdoor sports). It is currently unclear which mechanical parameters are responsible for subjectively perceived discomfort. The aim of this study was to identify objectively measured mechanical predictors of discomfort during load carriage. We compared ...

background: impairment in quality of life and mental health had been reported in the previous studies as the results of musculoskeletal disorders among workers. mental health has a wide concept and contains different disorders including  anxiety, depression or even decreased quality of life, all of which having challengeable impacts on work- related characters such as work productivity and abse...

BACKGROUND One economical way to inform patients about their illness and medical procedures is to provide written health information material. So far, a generic and psychometrically sound scale to evaluate cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of the subjectively experienced usefulness of patient information material from the patient's perspective is lacking. The aim of our study was to ...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of disability and has a major socioeconomic impact. Despite a large amount of research in the field, there remains uncertainty about the best treatment approach for chronic LBP, and identification of relevant patient subgroups is an important goal. Exercise therapy is a commonly used strategy to treat chronic low back pai...