Purpose: (1) To evaluate the effectiveness of personalised psychologically-informed physiotherapy in people with neck pain; (2) To explore the mediating role of changes in illness perceptions.
Method: In this replicated single-case study, 14 patients with non-specific neck pain at risk for chronicity received a personalised intervention addressing unhelpful illness perceptions and dysfunctional movement behaviour, according to principles of cognitive functional therapy. Outcomes included the mediating role of illness perceptions on overall effect, function, pain intensity and self-efficacy.
Eur J Appl Physiol
December 2024
Disorders affecting the neurological and musculoskeletal systems represent international health priorities. A significant impediment to progress in trials of new therapies is the absence of responsive, objective, and valid outcome measures sensitive to early disease changes. A key finding in individuals with neuromuscular and musculoskeletal disorders is the compositional changes to muscles, evinced by the expression of fatty infiltrates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Lumbar paraspinal intramuscular fat (IMF) has emerged as a biological factor in low back pain (LBP). Traditional assessments measure IMF across the entire muscle or at specific levels and may miss key information on the role of IMF in LBP. Despite known variations across the lumbar spine, the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of IMF has not been characterized across people.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Understanding biopsychosocial contributions to a sensitised pain system is a key target of many pain management programs. The 'Protectometer' is a freely available educational tool that guides people with chronic pain to explore their personal threats and reassurances, identifying them as 'DIMs' (danger in me) or 'SIMs' (safety in me), to guide personalised pain management. This study aimed to explore common types of DIMs and SIMs, and examine differences between adults and young people.
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