Rehabilitation for ankle fractures in adults.

Background: Ankle fracture is one of the most common lower limb fractures. Whilst immobilisation of the ankle can support and protect the fracture site during early healing, this also increases the risk of ankle weakness, stiffness, and residual pain. Rehabilitation aims to address the after-effects of this injury, to improve ankle function and quality of life.

Global prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in rural and urban populations. A systematic review with meta-analysis. Musculoskeletal pain in rural and urban populations.

Introduction: To systematically compare the global prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and care-seeking in rural and urban populations.

Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies reporting a direct comparison of rural and urban populations was conducted worldwide and included back, knee, hip, shoulder, neck pain and a broad diagnosis of 'musculoskeletal pain'. A search strategy combining terms related to 'prevalence', 'musculoskeletal pain' and 'rural' was used on the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and rural and remote health from their inception to 1 June 2022.

Outcome Heterogeneity in Prehabilitation Trials-Are We Comparing Apples and Oranges?

Introduction: Over the last decade, the number of prehabilitation randomised controlled trials (RCTs) has increased significantly. Therefore, this review aimed to describe the outcomes reported in prehabilitation RCTs in patients undergoing cancer surgery.

Methods: A search was conducted in Embase, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature from inception to July 2021.

Clinical guidelines are silent on the recommendation of physical activity and exercise therapy for low back pain: A systematic review.

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.

A review of patient recruitment in randomised controlled trials of preoperative exercise.

Background: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard design to determine the effectiveness of an intervention, as the only method of decreasing section bias and minimising random error. However, participant recruitment to randomised controlled trials is a major challenge, with many trials failing to recruit the targeted sample size accordingly to the planned protocol. Thus, the aim of this review is to detail the recruitment challenges of preoperative exercise clinical trials.

Effectiveness of an eHealth-Delivered Program to Empower People With Musculoskeletal Pain in Rural Australia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a three-month physiotherapist-delivered eHealth physical activity program compared with usual care to improve function in adults with low back pain or knee osteoarthritis in rural Australia.

Methods: This was a parallel, two-group, pragmatic, superiority, randomized controlled trial involving three- and six-month posttreatment follow-ups. There was a total of 156 adults with chronic nonspecific low back pain (n = 97) or knee osteoarthritis (n = 59) from rural Australia.

The impact of aggregate positive lifestyle behaviors on low back pain resilience and care seeking.

Background Context: Low back pain (LBP) is a global issue, and the high associated costs are mainly attributed to a small proportion of people with LBP who seek care. Importantly, the impact of aggregate positive lifestyle behaviors on LBP resilience and care seeking is not known.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between positive lifestyle behaviors and LBP resilience.

Effect of Braces on Performance in the Context of Chronic Ankle Instability.

Ankle braces are commonly recommended for prevention of ankle sprains, especially secondary sprains, rehabilitation, and return to normal activity or sport after injury. One common resistance to use is the feeling that braces will impede functional performance. For people with chronic ankle instability, the limited research indicates that the use of semirigid, lace-up, or soft-shell braces will not affect, and in some cases, may enhance performance.

The impact of different intensities and domains of physical activity on analgesic use and activity limitation in people with low back pain: A prospective cohort study with a one-year followup.

Background: Analgesics are the most common form of managing low back pain (LBP). No previous study has examined which domains and intensities of physical activity are most beneficial in reducing the frequency of analgesic use for LBP and its related activity limitation.

Methods: This cohort study forms part of the AUstralian Twin low BACK pain study, investigating the impact of physical activity on LBP.

Individualised, targeted step count intervention following gastrointestinal cancer surgery: The Fit-4-Home randomised clinical trial.

Background: To determine the effectiveness of an individualised, daily targeted step count intervention and usual care compared with usual care alone on improving surgical and patient reported outcomes.

Methods: The Fit-4-Home trial was a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial conducted from April 2019 to February 2021. Patients undergoing elective surgery for liver, stomach or pancreatic cancer in two Australian hospitals were recruited.

Clinical Course of Pain and Function Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is widely considered a successful intervention for osteoarthritis and other degenerative knee diseases. This study addresses the need for a high-quality meta-analysis that outlines the clinical course of pain and function post-TKA.

Methods: The review included prospective cohort studies assessing pain or function of patients undergoing primary TKA at baseline (preoperatively) and at least 2 additional time points including one at least 12 months postoperatively.

Preoperative Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test Associated with Postoperative Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Cancer Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.

Backgrounds: There is mixed evidence on the value of preoperative cardiorespiratory exercise test (CPET) to predict postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing a cancer surgical procedure. The purpose of this review was to investigate the association between preoperative CPET variables and postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and quality of life in patients undergoing cancer surgery.

Methods: A search was conducted on MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, and Web of science from inception to April 2020.

Association of Lumbar Spine Radiographic Changes With Severity of Back Pain-Related Disability Among Middle-aged, Community-Dwelling Women.

Importance: Previous studies, using mostly cross-sectional data, provide conflicting evidence of an association between lumbar spine radiographic changes and the severity of back pain-related disability. Such conflicting evidence may be associated with widely unnecessary diagnostic imaging of the lumbar spine.

Objective: To examine both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between lumbar spine radiographic changes and the severity of back pain-related disability among middle-aged, community-dwelling women.

Feasibility and acceptability of a preoperative exercise program for patients undergoing major cancer surgery: results from a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To establish the feasibility and acceptability of a preoperative exercise program, and to obtain pilot data on the likely difference in key surgical outcomes to inform the sample size calculation for a full-scale trial.

Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Conservative Care for Pregnancy-Related Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Objective: More than one-half of pregnant women experience pregnancy-related low back pain (LBP). Pregnancy-related LBP greatly affects activities of daily life, and although many interventions have been proposed, the optimal treatment for pregnancy-related LBP remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare conservative care strategies on their efficacy and safety for women with pregnancy-related LBP through systematic review with pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis.

Are people in the bush really physically active? A systematic review and meta-analysis of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in rural Australians populations.

Background: Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for non-communicable disease and premature mortality. People who live in rural settings are usually regarded as more physically active than those living in urban areas, however, direct comparisons between these populations are scarce. We aimed to summarise the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour in rural settings in Australia, compared to urban counterparts.

Return to self-reported physical activity level after an event of acute low back pain.

Background: Regular physical activity participation is known to promote better mobility and coordination. Although previous research has established that lack of physical activity participation may increase the risk of developing low back pain, the role of physical activity as a predictor of recovery among symptomatic individuals remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate whether: (i) the level of physical activity participation before an acute episode of low back pain predicts recovery within 12 months following the acute pain episode (i.

Preliminary evidence for physical activity following pelvic exenteration: a pilot longitudinal cohort study.

Background: The physical activity (PA) level of patients undergoing major cancer surgery remains unclear. This pilot study aimed to: (i) Compare preoperative PA level between patients undergoing major cancer surgery and the general population; (ii) describe PA trajectories following major cancer surgery; (iii) Compare objective versus subjective PA measures in patients undergoing major cancer surgery; and (iv) Investigate the association between preoperative PA level and postoperative outcomes.

Methods: Patients undergoing pelvic exenteration between September/2016 and September/2017 were included and followed at preoperative, 6-weeks and 6-months postoperative.

Comparative efficacy and safety of surgical and invasive treatments for adults with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: protocol for a network meta-analysis and systematic review.

Introduction: Surgical and invasive procedures are widely used in adults with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis when conservative treatments fail. However, little is known about the comparative efficacy and safety of these interventions. To address this, we will perform a network meta-analysis (NMA) and systematic review to compare the efficacy and safety of surgical and invasive procedures for adults with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis.