Chen SM, Liu MF, Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2009 Jul;82(7)OBJECTIVES: To review systematically studies examining the association between sedentary lifestyle and low back pain (LBP) using a comprehensive definition of sedentary behaviour including prolonged sitting both at work and during leisure time.METHODS: Journal articles published between 1998 and 2006 were obtained by searching computerized […]
Review: Steve Novella MD PhD 2015All of this evidence is in stark contrast to what most people believe about acupuncture. People actually think science supports acupuncture. That simply isn’t the case. Which isn’t really surprising, because we’re talking about a healing system that rests on a belief in auras: an alleged “energy” in and around […]
We created the Neural-flex to afford multiple ‘X’-axis positional iterations. This is because after 50 years of ‘facilitated motion’ research flexion and extension motions/pivoting at the waist can make improvements to disc migration patterns better than neutral positions. The premise of pre-positioning patients in extension (or flexion) is not new and has been borne out […]
J Anesthesia & analgesia. June (14) 2013 A small excess of positive results after thousands of trials is most consistent with an inactive intervention. The small excess is predicted by poor study design and publication bias. Further, Simmons et al (2011) demonstrated that exploitation of “undisclosed flexibility in data collection and analysis” can produce statistically positive […]
Kaptchuk offers some ideas about what the key factors might be in the placebo effect (i.e. in positively enhancing healing, but not from the material effects of the treatment or drug). He suggests it is the effect of hope, attention and care; and to do with the social, not just their personal, beliefs i.e.(Pygmalion effect)In […]
The placebo and Hawthorne effects compare and contrast in these ways: • Both are psychological effects on the participants, causing an effect when the material intervention has no effect.• Both are effects produced by the participants’ perceptions and reactions; but the former emphasises their response to new equipment or methods, while the latter emphasises their response […]
Bagnato GN et al Rheumatology (Oxford). 2016 Apr;55(4)This was a scientifically rigorous test of wearable pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) for older patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: moderate to severe cases with X-ray evidence and pain of at least 4/10 for more than six months, despite maximum tolerated medication. PEMF is particularly easy to test […]
Wertli MM et al Spine J. May 2014BACKGROUND CONTEXT:Psychological factors including fear avoidance beliefs are believed to influence the development of chronic low back pain (LBP).PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic importance of fear avoidance beliefs as assessed by the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia for […]
Seffinger MA et al Spine Oct 2004OBJECTIVES:To determine the quality of the research and assess the interexaminer and intraexaminer reliability of spinal palpatory diagnostic procedures.SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:Conflicting data have been reported over the past 35 years regarding the reliability of spinal palpatory tests.METHODS:The authors used 13 electronic databases and manually searched the literature from […]
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Mar 16;(3)Duivenvoorden T, Brouwer RW, et alBACKGROUND:Individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee can be treated with a knee brace or a foot/ankle orthosis. The main purpose of these aids is to reduce pain, improve physical function and, possibly, slow disease progression. This is the second update of the original […]