Musculoskeletal disorders and work ability of workers at a university campus in southern Brazil.

Background: When performed in unfavorable conditions, work can lead to the development of musculoskeletal disorders and decrease in work ability.

Objectives: To identify the differences between three groups of workers (professors, technicians and outsourced workers) as for the sociodemographic profile, work ability, prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, activity restrictions, and the correlation between the presence of musculoskeletal disorders and activity restrictions with each domain of the Work Ability Index.

Methods: The sample consisted of 67 university workers assessed by a Sociodemographic Data Questionnaire, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Symptoms Questionnaire and the Work Ability Index.

Repeatability and intra and interrater reproducibility of the DIPA-S eHealth© capture and analysis system for clinical assessment of scoliosis.

Purpose: To assess the repeatability, intra and interrater reproducibility of the DIPA-S eHealth© system for capturing and measuring clinical variables of scoliosis, including frontal trunk imbalance (FTI), sagittal trunk imbalance (STI), and angle of trunk rotation (ATR).

Methods: Patients were photographed using the DIPA-S eHealth Capture© mobile application by family members, physiotherapists, or surgeons. Three photos were taken in each position: standing in the frontal and sagittal planes and in the axial plane in forward bending position of the trunk.

Development, validity and reliability of patient perception of scoliosis-specific physiotherapy (physio-is) questionnaire.

Purpose: To develop a questionnaire for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients undergoing physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE) and to evaluate its content validity, structural validity, and reliability.

Methodology: Seven PSSE treatment experts checked the content validity of the Patient's Perception of Scoliosis-Specific Physiotherapy Questionnaire (Physio-IS). For each Physio-IS item, the content validity indexes must be ≥ 90%.

Intra and inter-rater reproducibility of the Remote Static Posture Assessment (ARPE) protocol's Postural Checklist.

With the enforcement of social distancing due to the pandemic, a need to conduct postural assessments through remote care arose. So, this study aimed to assess the intra- and inter-rater reproducibility of the Remote Static Posture Assessment (ARPE) protocol's Postural Checklist. The study involved 51 participants, with the postural assessment conducted by two researchers.

Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument for Adults (BackPEI-A): Updating and an online application.

Introduction: Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument for Adults (BackPEI-A) lags the most recent literature, as it does not assess issues related to activity increasingly present in the daily lives of people of all ages.

Purpose: (1) to update the BackPEI-A by including four new questions regarding the use of mobile devices; (2) to present a new graphic design of the issues related to back and neck pain to facilitate understanding of the location of these pains; (3) to test the content validity and the reliability of the new questions; and (4) to identify whether the BackPEI-A version in online form has adequate reliability.

Methods: The content validation by evaluation of eight experts, and the reliability of the new questions and of the online version were assessed.

Reliability of the five times sit to stand test performed remotely by multiple sclerosis patients.

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis, known main cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in adults, leads to changes in muscle strength, especially in the lower limbs. Assessing muscle strength in these patients is thus essential and can be achieved by the Five Times Sit to Stand Test (FTSST), commonly performed in person. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measured adopted, Brazilian physiotherapists turned to remote monitoring and assessment, supported by Resolution n° 516/2020, which required proving the reliability of tests.

Radiographic Measures for the Assessment of Frontal and Sagittal Knee Alignments and the Associated Normality Values: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this literature review was to identify knee alignment assessment methods using radiography in the sagittal and frontal planes and to identify normality values for classifying knee alignment using these methods.

Methods: A systematic review with a meta-analysis was conducted. The eligibility criterion was studies that performed radiographic examinations to assess the knee alignment of adults without a history of hip or knee prosthesis surgery.

Risk Factors for Back Pain among Southern Brazilian School Children: A 6-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

Risk factors associated with back pain vary in different countries. Given the lack of studies in Latin America, our study aimed to assess back pain and its associated factors for six years in Southern Brazilian school children. All children attending the fifth grade of Teutônia, Brazil, were invited to participate in the study.

Analysis of postural asymmetry on sagittal plane between right and left side views using photogrammetry.

Background: Postural asymmetry is natural and expected during postural assessment. Besides, there are conditions that exacerbate the difference between right and left side views, such as Idiopathic Scoliosis (IS). However, the photogrammetric postural assessment on sagittal plane is usually performed using only one side view.

Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument for Children and Adolescents (BackPEI-CA): Expansion, Content Validation, and Reliability.

The Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument (BackPEI) was created in 2013 to assess back pain and its risk factors in school children. However, it does not assess neck pain or the habits of mobile device usage, which are aspects that are often part of school children's lives. Therefore, we aimed to update the BackPEI questionnaire to include new questions assessing aspects related to neck pain and the use of mobile devices and to test the content validity and reliability of the new questions.

The influence of physical exercise on behavioral habits, kinesiophobia, and disability in people with low back pain: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Physical exercise improves physical fitness and health, helping to reduce pain and prevent low back pain. This study aims to compare the intensity of low back pain (LBP), behavioral habits, and the level of disability and kinesiophobia among exercising and non-exercising subjects with LBP.

Methods: Consecutive sample of 102 individuals was divided into exercising group (EG) and non-exercising group (NEG).

Construct validity and reliability of tests for sacroiliac dysfunction: standing flexion test (STFT) and sitting flexion test (SIFT).

Context: Sacroiliac dysfunction is characterized by a hypomobility of the range of motion of the joint, followed by a positional change regarding the relationship between the sacrum and the iliac. In general, the clinical tests that evaluate the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and its dysfunctions lack validity and reliability values.

Objectives: This article aims to evaluate the construct validity and intra- and inter-rater reliability of the standing flexion test (STFT) and sitting flexion test (SIFT).

Validating Surface Topography for the Measurement of the Thoracic Kyphosis Angle in Patients With Scoliosis: A Prospective Study of Accuracy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the validity and determine the accuracy of surface topography in relation to photogrammetry for measuring the thoracic kyphosis angle in patients with scoliosis.

Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of diagnostic accuracy that followed the guidelines recommended by the Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy. We consecutively included 51 participants aged 7 to 18 years.

Repeatability and reproducibility of the pressure biofeedback unit.

Introduction: Although the pressure biofeedback unit (PBU) is used for muscular assessment and training, there is little evidence of its reproducibility and repeatability.

Objective: This study aims to assess intra- and inter-rater reproducibility and repeatability of the PBU in the assessment of the transverse abdominal (TrA), internal oblique (IO), low back multifidi, and deep neck flexors (DNF).

Methods: Fifty individuals had three muscular groups tested: TrA/IO, lower back multifidi, and DNF.

Validity and Reliability of Palpatory Clinical Tests of Sacroiliac Joint Mobility: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: The primary objective of this review was to investigate the reliability and validity of palpatory clinical tests of sacroiliac mobility. The secondary objective was to investigate which palpatory clinical tests of sacroiliac mobility exist in the literature.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Medline, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database were searched.

Back pain and its risk factors in Brazilian adolescents: a longitudinal study.

Owing to the lack of longitudinal studies in Latin American countries, we aimed to evaluate back pain and its risk factors in a 3-year longitudinal study of Brazilian adolescents. We analysed data of 525 adolescents (aged 11-16 years) attending primary school (fifth to eighth grade) in Brazil. The students were administered the self-reported Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument (BackPEI) questionnaire in 2011 and at a follow-up evaluation that was conducted 3 years later (2014).

Radiography and photogrammetry-based methods of assessing cervical spine posture in the sagittal plane: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: There are numerous radiography and photogrammetry-based methods of assessing the cervical spine posture in the sagittal plane. The choice of instrument should be based on scientific parameters such as validity and reliability, thus avoiding restrictions to the applicability of the instrument.

Research Question: What radiography and photogrammetry-based methods used to assess the cervical spine posture in the sagittal plane are valid and/or reliable?

Methods: Systematic searches were conducted following Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines.

Validation of a Mathematical Procedure for the Cobb Angle Assessment Based on Photogrammetry.

Objective: This prospective study aimed to assess the concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy of a mathematical procedure for measurement of the spinal inclination angle, analogous to the Cobb angle, by means of photogrammetry.

Methods: Sixty-one subjects (aged 7 to 18 years), male and female, underwent radiographic (Cobb angle) and photogrammetric (DIPA [Digital Image-based Postural Assessment] angle) evaluations. The measurement of spinal inclination angle obtained through photogrammetry followed the Digital Image-Based Postural Assessment software protocol.

Validity and Reliability of Smartphones in Assessing Spinal Kinematics: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: Advances in mobile technology have led to the development of smartphones, whose applications present numerous utilities, such as the analysis of human movement based on inertial sensors. The purpose of this review was to investigate validity and reliability of smartphones in assessing the kinematics of the human spine.

Methods: A systematic search was performed on MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and LILACS databases, as well as manual searches.

Pilates instructors: prevalence of musculoskeletal pain, associated occupational factors and comparison of quality of life relative to Brazilian reference values.

Background: Pain is a public health problem with negative impact on quality of life.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and associated occupational factors among Pilates instructors, and to compare their quality of life relative to Brazilian reference values.

Method: A total of 166 Pilates instructors from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (consecutive sampling) with degrees in physical education or physical therapy responded the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and Work-related Habits Questionnaire.

Concurrent Validity of Digital Image-based Postural Assessment as a Method for Measuring Thoracic Kyphosis: A Cross-Sectional Study of Healthy Adults.

Objective: To analyze the concurrent validity of the Digital Image-based Postural Assessment (DIPA) method for identifying the magnitude and classification of thoracic kyphosis in adults.

Methodology: On the same day and in the same place, thoracic kyphosis was assessed in 68 adults using 2 methods: the DIPA software protocol and radiography. The DIPA software provided angular values of thoracic kyphosis based on trigonometric relations, while with the radiograph, the curvature was calculated using the Cobb method.

Validation of the Measurement of the Angle of Trunk Rotation in Photogrammetry.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to validate the photogrammetric measurement of the angle of trunk rotation in relation to the scoliometer instrument.

Methods: Fifty-eight prominences from individuals with ages between 7 and 18 and with suspicion of spinal asymmetry (SA) were evaluated through the scoliometer and photogrammetry. The photographs were analyzed in the Digital Image-based Postural Assessment software.

Kinematic Characteristics of Sit-to-Stand Movements in Patients With Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review.

Objective: The purpose of this review was to identify different kinematic characteristics between the movements of sit-to-stand-to-sit, sit-to-stand, or stand-to-sit of individuals with and without low back pain (LBP).

Methods: A systematic search was conducted on scientific databases. The analyzed kinematic variables were duration of the movement, reproduction of the movement, ranges of motion, velocity, and acceleration.

Repeatability and Reproducibility of Postural Variables by Photogrammetry.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the reliability of postural variables analyzed by photogrammetry obtained at different instances on the same day and between 2 different days.

Methods: A sample composed of 24 healthy adult individuals of both sexes was submitted to photogrammetric postural assessment. From 35 seconds of filming, 7 photographs (of time instance at 0 second, 05 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, and 30 seconds) were extracted and digitalized on digital image-based postural assessment software.

Anatomical reference marks, evaluation parameters and reproducibility of surface topography for evaluating the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: Surface topography is a radiation-free examination that provides relevant information for the evaluation of patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). However, its usage is not standardized, which restricts the applicability of this instrument.

Research Questions: (a) To identify the anatomical reference markers used on surface topography; (b) to identify the parameters used on surface topography; and (c) to pool correlation and reproducibility results.