Low back pain (LBP) has been identified as one of the most costly disorders among the worldwide working population. Sitting has been associated with risk of developing LBP. The purpose of this literature review is to assemble and describe evidence of research on the association between sitting and the presence of LBP. The systematic literature review was restricted to those occupations that require sitting for more than half of working time and where workers have physical co-exposure factors such as whole body vibration (WBV) and/or awkward postures. Twenty-five studies were carefully selected and critically reviewed, and a model was developed to describe the relationships between these factors. Sitting alone was not associated with the risk of developing LBP. However, when the co-exposure factors of WBV and awkward postures were added to the analysis, the risk of LBP increased fourfold. The occupational group that showed the strongest association with LBP was Helicopter Pilots (OR=9.0, 90% CI 4.9-16.4). For all studied occupations, the odds ratio (OR) increased when WBV and/or awkward postures were analyzed as co-exposure factors. WBV while sitting was also independently associated with non-specific LBP and sciatica. Vibration dose, as well as vibration magnitude and duration of exposure, were associated with LBP in all occupations. Exposure duration was associated with LBP to a greater extent than vibration magnitude. However, for the presence of sciatica, this difference was not found. Awkward posture was also independently associated with the presence of LBP and/or sciatica. The risk effect of prolonged sitting increased significantly when the factors of WBV and awkward postures were combined. Sitting by itself does not increase the risk of LBP. However, sitting for more than half a workday, in combination with WBV and/or awkward postures, does increase the likelihood of having LBP and/or sciatica, and it is the combination of those risk factors, which leads to the greatest increase in LBP.

The underlying factor structure of the Spanish-language version of the MRPS was identical to the English-language version. Our findings provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of measurements obtained from the Spanish-language version of the MRPS. Further study is needed to assess the stability of these findings in other samples. As with English-speaking patients, Spanish-speaking patient's satisfaction with physical therapy care is most strongly linked to the professional behavior of the clinician.

Expectations appear to be embedded in both hopes and fears, suggesting that clinicians should address both when negotiating realistic goals and educating patients. This approach is particularly relevant for cases of nonspecific musculoskeletal pain, where diagnoses are unclear and treatment may not completely alleviate pain.

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Purpose Patient satisfaction is an outcome measure for low-back pain (LBP) interventions which allows clinicians to design patient-oriented treatments. The Treatment Outcome Satisfaction Questionnaire (TOSQ) is an English instrument constructed for such evaluations, and no equivalent instruments exist for the Swedish population. This study, therefore, translated TOSQ into Swedish and assessed the translated version's psychometric properties for patients with LBP. Methods A cross-cultural adaptation was used to translate TOSQ into Swedish. Subsequently, data from 131 patients with LBP whom undergone physiotherapy were consecutively aggregated and analyzed in a Rasch rating scale model with person measures standardized at 0-100 logits to evaluate the translated scale's validity. Finally, testretest reliability of the Swedish version of TOSQ (TOSQ-S) was quantified via an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM) in 41 patients.Results TOSQ was successfully translated into Swedish; however, while some Rasch model indices supported the translated scale's unidimensionality, one out of eight items and 12 out of 131 subjects misfitted the model. Scale optimization resulted in a 6-item subconfiguration, for which all items fitted the model, person misfits were reduced to ten subjects, and the person separation index increased from 1.86 to 2.04. ICC and SEM estimates suggested acceptable reliability for the six-item TOSQ-S at 0.66 and 6.6 logits, respectively. Conclusions A six-item TOSQ-S configuration showed acceptable psychometric properties and is suitable for measuring treatment outcome satisfaction of physiotherapy in patients with LBP.

Introduction This brief report describes the number and nature of cases of musculoskeletal pain and injury among sailors and marines presenting to the ship’s physical therapist during recent, respective deployments of two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Materials and Methods The case definition for this study was cases of work-limiting medical complaints involving the musculoskeletal system presenting, or referred, to the ship’s physical therapy services for evaluation and treatment. The population for this study was drawn from ship’s company from two Nimitz class carriers on their respective deployments. Potential subjects were recruited at their index visit for their complaint. Participants completed a survey of their symptoms while at the ship’s medical department. Data for analysis consist of counts of cases, body part affected, self-reported mechanism of injury, age, and gender of the subject. Data were analyzed by generating descriptive tables. Results One hundred ninety-seven cases were captured across the two carriers. Injury to the low back was the most frequent (34%), followed by shoulder (25%) and knee (15%). Twenty one cases (11%) were reported to be exacerbation of previous injuries and the rest new injuries. Of the 176 new injury cases, 93 (53%) were of an insidious onset and the remainder had a specific, identifiable onset. Of the 82 cases with a specific identifiable onset, 38 cases (46%) occurred during participation in sport and exercise activity on board ship, and the remainder of the cases occurred during the performance of duty-related work. None of the cases required evacuation off of the ship. Conclusion Care should be used interpreting the results since participants were volunteers and a small proportion of eligible subjects chose not to participate in the study. Nevertheless, our data are generally consistent with other studies of musculoskeletal injury on board U.S. Navy ships and are useful for health care planning purposes and for planning for future studies that may take place on board U.S. Navy vessels. The novel and important finding of this study suggests that sports and exercise activity on board ship may warrant a new area of attention for safety.

This study assesses the feasibility of training U.S. Navy Physical Therapy staff members (PT staff) aboard a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier in psychologically informed physical therapy (PiPT). Training was conducted prior to deployment over 3 d and included background information, skills development, and application in the form of role playing and case studies. During deployment, nine phone conferences were conducted to reinforce training, assess skills, and discuss implementation. PiPT knowledge was assessed by a written test and role-playing skills. The adoption of the training was determined by analysis of clinical notes and verbal responses of the PT staff during phone conferences. There were two PT staff members on the carrier. Both received passing knowledge test scores and demonstrated role-playing proficiency. Clinical note assessment and discussions during conference calls also indicated successful implementation. The feasibility of training Navy PT staff to implement PiPT was demonstrated. PT staff successfully translated training into practice. This is significant, since PiPT has the potential to limit attrition due to musculoskeletal injuries in Navy personnel. Factors believed to be associated with the success of the training include adoption of the PiPT model by PT staff and reinforcement of changes in clinical practice during deployment.

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