BACKGROUND The choice of an evaluative instrument has been hampered by the lack of head-to-head comparisons of responsiveness and the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in subpopulations of low back pain (LBP). The objective of this study was to concurrently compare responsiveness and MCID for commonly used pain scales and functional instruments in four subpopulations of LBP patient...

The highly accurate and stable pressure sensors with anti-interference from varying sensing environments (temperature humidity) are essential a challenge in practical applications. However, real-time electrical resistance fluctuation or even inaccuracy widely existed due to the sensibility of conductive materials towards temperatures, humidity, sweat circumstance. Here, for first time, hydropho...

Using France as a case study, the paper tries to explain for the presence of Chinese firms, assesses in detail factors influencing their activities and provides a tentative assessment of the impacts. The paper argues that the concerns expressed about the presence of Chinese investors are so far wholly misplaced for a number of reasons. Firstly, Chinese outward direct investment (ODI) is still e...

Development Progress is an ODI project that aims to measure, understand and communicate where and how progress has been made in development. ODI is the UK's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. Further ODI materials are available at odi.org.uk • Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have a direct impact on the achievement of the Millennium Developmen...

Objective. To compare the effects of applying Extra-Corporal Shockwave treatment (ESWT) and Muscle Energy Technique (MET) to Quadratus lumborum (QL) with regards pain function. Methods. 77 participants were included in this study. Patients if they diagnosed as Myofascial syndrome, localized on QL muscle; surrounding tightness; tenderness; painful trigger points, causing referred around QL. Outc...

Background: Revision discectomy is the principal procedure for recurrent lumbar disk herniation (RLDH). The clinicaloutcomes after this procedure are as good as or slightly poorer than those produced by primary discectomy. In thisstudy, the clinical outcomes of patients treated with microsurgical discectomy for RLDH were analyzed.Methods: We examined 179 patients undergoing lumbar microdiscecto...

Background. Middle-aged women are at risk of musculoskeletal disorders because of the decreased muscle mass and bone density caused by a decreased endocrine function. Objectives. This study investigated the effectiveness of a stabilization exercise using respiratory resistance on female patients in their 40s with low back pain. Methods. Forty-four female patients in their 40s with low back pa...

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between health problems as rated by the health professionals in the Norwegian form of the Core Set for low back pain and the patients' self-reported health problems in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II). METHODS This was part of an international multicenter study where a convenience ...