Publications by authors named "Manuela Loureiro Ferreira"
Objectives: To synthesise and evaluate the quality of the recommendations for exercise therapy and physical activity from guidelines for the prevention and/or management of low back pain.
Design: Systematic review.
Methods: Included clinical practice guidelines for the management of low back pain published between 2014 and 2022 and searched in 9 databases until September 2022.
Although placebo-controlled trials are considered the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of healthcare interventions, they can be perceived to be controversial and challenging to conduct for surgical treatments. The SUcceSS trial is the first placebo-controlled trial of lumbar decompression surgery for symptomatic lumbar canal stenosis. The SUcceSS trial has experienced common issues affecting the implementation of randomised placebo-controlled surgery trials, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical Activity Supported by Low-Cost Mobile Technology for Back Pain (PAT-Back) to Reduce Disability in Older Adults: Results of a Feasibility Study.
Phys Ther
February 2024
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of a multimodal program (PAT-Back) compared to best practice advice on pain and disability in older adults with chronic low back pain (LBP) in primary care.
Methods: This feasibility study took place in Fortaleza, Northeast Brazil. The PAT-Back intervention consisted of a program including exercises, pain education, and motivational text messages for the in-home component.
Objective: To determine the comparative effectiveness and safety of psychological interventions for chronic low back pain.
Design: Systematic review with network meta-analysis.
Data Sources: Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and CINAHL from database inception to 31 January 2021.
Trajectories of pain and disability in older adults with acute low back pain: Longitudinal data of the BACE-Brazil cohort.
Braz J Phys Ther
April 2022
Background: Although the literature describes a favorable course of low back pain (LBP) in adults, little information is available for older adults. LBP is prevalent and complex in older adults, and the analysis of its trajectories may contribute to the improvement of therapeutic approaches.
Objective: To describe pain and disability trajectories in older adults with a new episode of LBP.
Objective: The authors sought to describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial that will investigate the effects of the TEXT4myBACK self-management text message intervention compared with control in people with low back pain (LBP).
Methods: A single-blind (assessor and statistician), randomized controlled trial with economic analysis and process evaluation will be conducted. A total of 304 people with non-specific LBP of less than 12 weeks will be enrolled and randomly allocated either to TEXT4myBACK intervention or control groups.
Influence of the number and severity of comorbidities in the course of acute non-specific low back pain in older adults: longitudinal results from the Back Complaints in the Elders (BACE-Brazil).
Age Ageing
December 2019
Article Synopsis
- The study explores how comorbidities impact pain and disability levels in older adults experiencing acute low back pain (LBP) over three months.
- Researchers used data from the Back Complaints in the Elders study, involving 602 older adults to assess comorbidity severity, pain intensity, and disability levels through various questionnaires.
- Findings indicate that higher comorbidity scores are linked to less improvement in pain and disability, suggesting that managing comorbidities could be crucial for better outcomes in older adults with acute LBP.
This cross-sectional study evaluated the association of biopsychosocial factors with disability in older adults with a new episode of acute low back pain. Older patients with a new episode of acute low back pain were included and those with cognitive alterations and severe motor impairment were excluded. Disability was assessed using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Musculoskeletal pain frequently occurs in more than one body region, with up to 80% of adults reporting more than one joint pain site in the last 12 months. Older people and females are known to be more susceptible to multiple joint pain sites, however the association of multisite joint pain with physical and psychosocial functions in this population are unknown.
Methods: Cross-sectional data from 579 women were analyzed.
Background/objectives: The burden of low back pain (LBP) is high, especially for older adults who experience a higher number of years living with a disability. However, this population is not being well represented in clinical trials (CTs). This study analyzed the International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP) database from the World Health Organization to verify the future trend in the participation of older adults in registered CTs on LBP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Brazilian Back Complaints in the Elders (Brazilian BACE) study: characteristics of Brazilian older adults with a new episode of low back pain.
Braz J Phys Ther
March 2018
Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is little explored in the aging population especially when considering age-relevant and culturally dependent outcomes. We aimed to describe socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of Brazilian older people with a new episode of LBP presenting to primary care.
Methods: We sourced baseline information on socio-demographic, pain-related and clinical characteristics from 602 older adults from the Brazilian Back Complaints in the Elders (Brazilian BACE) study.
Article Synopsis
- Telehealth can be a potential option for treating low back pain (LBP), but its effectiveness in improving pain and disability hasn't been thoroughly studied.
- A systematic review analyzed 11 studies, indicating that telehealth interventions did not significantly reduce pain or disability in chronic LBP compared to control groups; however, some studies showed telehealth could enhance quality of life.
- There's evidence that combining telehealth with standard care may help patients with recent LBP symptoms more than just usual care alone, though more research on advanced telehealth methods is needed.
Article Synopsis
- The study aims to clarify the relationship between obesity and chronic low back pain (LBP) by using a longitudinal approach to assess various obesity measures, unlike previous studies that often delivered inconsistent results due to their methodologies.
- Data was collected from a cohort of 1,098 twins aged 43 to 71 years, all of whom were free from chronic LBP at the start, with follow-up conducted after 2 to 4 years to evaluate their LBP status.
- The analysis revealed no significant increase in the risk of chronic LBP associated with obesity measures (like BMI or waist circumference), suggesting that obesity may not be a sole risk factor for chronic LBP outcomes.
Intraexaminer and interexaminer reliability of pressure biofeedback unit for assessing lumbopelvic stability during 6 lower limb movement tests.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther
January 2013
Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess examiners' intrarater and interrater reliability to use a pressure biofeedback unit (PBU) during 6 lower limb movement tests based on Movement System Impairment classification model for low back pain (LBP) in people with nonspecific LBP.
Methods: Thirty subjects (13 men and 17 women) with chronic nonspecific LPB were assessed during 6 lower limb movement tests based on Movement System Impairment classification using a PBU. Each test was performed twice by 2 assessors with a 48-hour interval between test sessions.
Background: Alcohol intake has been widely reported as a risk factor for low back pain (LBP), however, the literature is inconclusive about this association.
Objectives: To determine, in a systematic review, the relationship between alcohol intake and LBP.
Methods: A search was conducted in CINAHL, LILACS, Medline, National Research Register and Web of Science to identify studies that investigated the association between alcohol intake and LBP.
Article Synopsis
- This study examined how body posture affects the transversus abdominis (TrA) and obliquus internus (OI) muscles during a leg task in individuals with and without low back pain (LBP).
- Rehabilitative ultrasound measured muscle thickness changes while subjects were in different lumbar positions (neutral and flexed) during the task.
- Results indicated that a neutral lumbar posture increased TrA thickness in healthy participants but not in those with LBP, and there was no significant difference in muscle thickness changes between the two groups.
Study Design: Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and clinimetric testing of self-report outcome measures.
Objective: The aims of this investigation were to perform the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) into Brazilian-Portuguese and to perform a head-to-head comparison of the clinimetric properties of the Brazilian-Portuguese versions of the PSFS, the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and the Functional Rating Index (FRI).
Summary Of Background Data: To date, there is no Brazilian-Portuguese version of the PSFS available and no head-to-head comparison of the Brazilian-Portuguese versions of the PSFS, RMDQ, and FRI has been undertaken.
Many manual therapists assess and treat spinal stiffness of people with low back pain. The objectives of this study were to investigate: (i) whether spinal stiffness changes after treatment; (ii) the relationship between pre-treatment spinal stiffness and change in stiffness with treatment; (iii) the relationship between spinal stiffness, pain, disability and global perceived effect of treatment; (iv) whether spinal stiffness predicts outcome of treatment or response to treatment in chronic low back pain patients. One hundred and ninety-one subjects with chronic low back pain were randomly allocated to groups that received either spinal manipulative therapy, motor control exercise, or a general exercise program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate the behavior of the force applied during the Maitland grade III anteroposterior joint mobilization of the talus and its effect on dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM).
Methods: Two examiners performed measurements of dorsiflexion ROM on both ankles of healthy volunteers using a universal goniometer. The anteroposterior talus mobilization was first applied by examiner A for 30 seconds.
Study Design And Objectives: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of the McKenzie method for low back pain (LBP).
Summary Of Background Data: The McKenzie method is a popular classification-based treatment for LBP. The faulty equation of McKenzie to extension exercises (generic McKenzie) is common in randomized trials.