Prevalence, Profile, and Response to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Egyptian Physiotherapists

BACKGROUND: Despite that physiotherapists (PTs) are supposed to have adequate knowledge of musculoskeletal disorders and the different prevention strategies, they are at high risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs). AIM: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, profile, predictors, and response to WRMDs among Egyptian PTs. METHODS: A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed either manually or via e-mail to 564 PTs with at least two years of working experience. Questions elicited information about the personal and occupational history of the respondents in addition to the experience of WRMDs in the past two years. RESULTS: Four hundred and fourteen respondents (82.6%) reported WRMDs within the last two years, with the lower back as the most common area affected (68.8%). More than half the PTs (54.8%) who sustained a WRMD reported that their injury took place in a private setting. Significant predictors for WRMDs were age (AOR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.66, 0.91) and number of years of experience in physiotherapy practice (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.07, 1.49). In response to the injury, about 73.9% of the respondents stated that they did not officially report their injury and 55.8% of them reported losing a half day or more from their work. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of WRMDs among Egyptian physiotherapists is high. Despite socioeconomic and cultural differences between Egypt and other countries, our study findings were consistent with the published reports. Further studies are needed to explore the cultural and psychosocial risk factors of WRMDs

The most important considerations in the assessment of functional decline in seniors: a literature review

In recent years, there has been much focus on functional decline associated with aging, but not many studies have examined how functional decline can be effectively evaluated and detected at earlier stages of the aging process. Early detection of functional decline helps to intervene much earlier to avoid many of negative consequences of functional decline and frailty. Late identification of functional decline is problematic to the individuals and the healthcare systems considering that the percentage of the world population represented by people over the age of 65 is increasing rapidly worldwide. The aim of this review was to investigate the most important considerations in the assessment of functional decline in the population of seniors, and to explore relevant literature to provide a ground for an effective functional assessment for this population. Comprehensive literature search of the English-language articles for people aged 65 and over were conducted by searching MEDLINE and PubMed. The literature describes two main segments of elderly population with functional decline that should be assessed in different ways: Hospitalized and community-dwelling elders. When working with elderly clients, it is significantly important to identify all the factors that may contribute to the clinical picture of the client. Identification of risk factors, such as inability to do basic activities of daily living, social isolation, or lack of resources may help healthcare providers to intervene on time to avoid many catastrophic changes that affect seniors' health-related quality of life

Ataxia Rating Scales: Content Analysis by Linking to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

Ataxia management is mainly based on rehabilitation, symptomatic management, and functional improvement. Therefore, it is important to comprehensively assess ataxic symptoms and their impact on function. Recently, the movement disorders society recommended four generic ataxia rating scales: scale for assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA), international cooperative ataxia rating scales, Friedreich’s ataxia rating scale (FARS), and unified multiple system atrophy rating scale (UMSARS). The aim of the study was to analyze and compare the content of the recommended ataxia rating scales by linking them to the international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF). A total of 125 meaningful concepts from 93 items of the four included scales were linked to 57 different ICF categories. The ICF categories were distributed in body structure (n = 8), body function (n = 26), activity and participation (n = 20), and environmental factors (n = 3) components. UMSARS and FARS were the only ones that have addressed the body structure or environmental factors component. The content analysis of ataxia rating scales would help clinicians and researchers select the most appropriate scale and understand ataxic symptoms and their impact on function. It seems that SARA is the optimal scale for rapid assessment of ataxia or in busy clinical settings. UMSARS or FARS are more appropriate for the investigating the impact of ataxia on overall health, and monitoring ataxia progression and disability

The Efficacy of Muscle Energy and Mulligan Mobilization Techniques for the Upper Extremities and Posture after Breast Cancer Surgery with Axillary Dissection: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Breast cancer surgeries affect the upper extremities and posture. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of muscle energy and Mulligan mobilization techniques on the upper extremities and posture after breast cancer surgery with axillary dissection. Methods: A total of 90 female participants who had undergone breast cancer surgery with axillary dissection were recruited and randomly assigned to three groups. Group A received a combination of the Mulligan and muscle energy techniques, while Groups B and C received either the Mulligan or muscle energy techniques for six weeks, respectively. The study measured the shoulders’ range of motion, posture, and upper-extremity disabilities. Outcome measurements were taken at three different time points: baseline, post-intervention, and at eight-week follow-up. Results: All the interventions significantly improved the study outcomes. The combination of the Mulligan and muscle energy techniques was significantly better than a single intervention. Mulligan mobilization was superior to the muscle energy techniques in terms of improving the shoulders’ range of motion and disability. The interventions showed a significant effect pre-post-treatment and pre-follow-up but not post-follow-up. Conclusions: The Mulligan mobilization and muscle energy techniques have been found beneficial in improving the postural changes and shoulder outcomes after breast cancer surgery with axillary dissection. The superior effectiveness of the combined interventions points out the importance of integrating multiple therapeutic approaches for optimal outcomes. Regular examination and long-term follow-up assessment are important for studying the effect of rehabilitation interventions in people after the late stages of breast surgery

sj-docx-2-rpo-10.1177_27536351241233917 – Supplemental material for Cross-Cultural Validation of the Arabic Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ): Libyan Version in Patients With Musculoskeletal Pain

Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-rpo-10.1177_27536351241233917 for Cross-Cultural Validation of the Arabic Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ): Libyan Version in Patients With Musculoskeletal Pain by Alhadi M Jahan, Ali E Rwaiha, Salima M Anaiba and Rasha A Alghoul in Advances in Rehabilitation Science and Practice</p

Investigating behavior, attitudes, knowledge, awareness and barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice by physiotherapists in Egypt: A cross sectional study

Few studies exist regarding the attitudes and behaviours of Egyptian physiotherapists in relation to the use of evidence in practice (EBP). The purpose of this study was to describe the beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours of Egyptian physical therapists as they relate to evidence-based practice. It also explores their perception of possible barriers to implement EBP. Four hundred and seventy Egyptian therapists responded to our questionnaire with results revealing participants’ awareness towards EBP was quite diverse. Only terms of systematic review and randomized controlled trial were well understood while remaining terms showed various level of comprehension which were rather low. Results also revealed significant correlations between attitudes towards EBP and overall awareness as well as attitudes and knowledge (r = 0.270 and 0.107) respectively. In addition, a significant relationship was also found between EBP awareness and knowledge with (r = 0.219). With regards to the barriers, insufficient teaching in previous education was identified as the primary barrier (34.4 %), followed by lack of funding and resources (31.1 %), while lack of time (10.2 %) was reported as the least. These barriers highlight the need to enhance implementation of EBP within Egyptian Physiotherapists. Findings of this study can be used as a foundation for the implementation of EBP in various clinical settings by understanding the limitations and barriers reported. Our study concluded that despite Egyptian physiotherapists declare their awareness of EBP, nevertheless, knowledge is restricted to a small number of terms. More focus is required to enhance the knowledge and practice of EBP. Focusing on adjustable factors, including increasing the awareness of value of research would help reduce time and resource demands for physiotherapists when implementing EBP

sj-docx-1-rpo-10.1177_27536351241233917 – Supplemental material for Cross-Cultural Validation of the Arabic Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ): Libyan Version in Patients With Musculoskeletal Pain

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-rpo-10.1177_27536351241233917 for Cross-Cultural Validation of the Arabic Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ): Libyan Version in Patients With Musculoskeletal Pain by Alhadi M Jahan, Ali E Rwaiha, Salima M Anaiba and Rasha A Alghoul in Advances in Rehabilitation Science and Practice</p

Computed tomography-guided Tru-cut biopsy of lung mass, as an important diagnostic tool: Histopathological characteristics, age, sex distribution, and risk factors in Misurata Cancer Center, Libya

Background: Lung biopsies may be classified according to the method of access or by the reason for biopsy. Tru-cut biopsy is a simple, relatively safe, rapid, and reliable technique for the diagnosis of lung mass lesions, particularly with the aid of computed tomography (CT) scan. This procedure is commonly used worldwide to detect different kinds of lung tumors, but its usefulness in Libya is not yet studied. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of Tru-cut biopsy as a diagnostic method in lung tumors and also to determine the incidence of lung cancer in various ages and sex groups and in relation to smoking data. Patients and Methods: Retrospective study was done on 136 patients who underwent CT-guided Tru-cut biopsy from January 2012 to March 2015. The included patients have lung mass lesions suspected to be neoplastic according to chest radiograph and/or CT scan. Results: We found biopsies and histopathology reports of 136 cases. The patients’ age was from 20 to 85 years with the peak incidence in the sixth and seventh decades. The benign lesions were 18 (13.23%), and malignant lesions were 118 (86.76%) documented microscopically. The most common tumor was squamous cell carcinoma (25.17%), followed by adenocarcinoma (23.02%) and small cell lung carcinoma (17.26%). Nonspecific inflammation was found in 8.63%. Conclusion: CT-guided Tru-cut biopsy is a simple, safe, and reliable procedure with high diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis and subtyping of lung cancer. The definitive result of malignancy is a base for correct decision for the patient's treatment after careful clinical correlation with performance state, radiology findings, and complete serological investigations