Prevalence of low back pain and its associated risk factors among professions and workers in health, medical, and welfare facilities in Japan.

Background: The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) and its associated risk factors, including physical function, are not fully clarified among health, medical, and welfare facility professionals and workers. Furthermore, issues related to the prevention of LBP are not completely understood.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of LBP and associated risk factors, including physical function, in professionals and workers in health, medical, and welfare facilities.

Reliability of ultrasound to measure the distance between lumbar interspinous processes.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the reliability of ultrasound to measure the distance between interspinous processes of the lumbar spine at the segmental level (i.e., L1-L2, L2-L3, L3-L4, and L4-L5).

Absolute and relative reliability of lumbar interspinous process ultrasound imaging measurements.

[Purpose] The intra- and inter-examiner reliabilities of lumbar interspinous process distances measured by ultrasound imaging were examined. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 10 males who had no history of orthopedic diseases or dysfunctions. Ten lumbar interspinous images from 360 images captured from 10 subjects were selected.

Reliability and validity of an ultrasound-based imaging method for measuring interspinous process distance in the lumbar spine using two different index points.

[Purpose] This study assessed the reliability and validity of an ultrasound-based imaging method for measuring the interspinous process distance in the lumbar spine using two different index points. [Subjects and Methods] Ten healthy males were recruited. Five physical therapy students participated in this study as examiners.

Validation of the Japanese Osteoporosis Quality of Life Questionnaire.

The Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research developed the Japanese Osteoporosis Quality of Life Questionnaire (JOQOL) to evaluate the disease-specific Health-Related QOL, which is specific for osteoporosis of Japanese patients. JOQOL was revised in 2000; it consisted of 38 items with the scale graded from 0 to 4 and a total full score of 152. To elucidate the reliability and validity of the revised JOQOL, we enrolled 193 postmenopausal women as subjects and diagnosed them as having osteoporosis or osteopenia.

Intertester reliability and diagnostic validity of the cervical flexion-rotation test.

Objective: This article evaluates reliability and diagnostic validity of the cervical flexion-rotation test (FRT) to discriminate subjects with headache because of C1/2 dysfunction. In addition, this study evaluates agreement between experienced and inexperienced examiners.

Methods: These were 2 single blind comparative measurement study designs.

Relationship between the oxygen uptake during cardiopulmonary exercise testing and left ventricular function in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The relationship between exercise capacity and left ventricular function has been evaluated in 35 patients with acute myocardial infarction (34 males and 1 female; mean age 55.5 ± 7.1 years).