A systematic review and meta-analysis of the reliability and validity of sensorimotor measurement instruments in people with chronic low back pain

Background: Deficits in the sensorimotor system and its peripheral and central processing of the affected body part might be a contributing factor to chronic low back pain (CLBP). Hence, sensorimotor assessment is important. Valid and reliable sensorimotor measurement instruments are needed. Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of sensorimotor measurement instruments for people with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The review was undertaken using the COSMIN guidelines. Databases were searched for studies investigating the clinimetric properties of sensorimotor tests in people with CLBP. The methodological study quality was rated by two independent reviewers using the COSMIN 4-point rating checklist. Results: Ten studies were included covering six sensorimotor measurement instruments with findings for reliability/measurement error, known-groups validity and convergent validity. The methodological quality ranged from poor to good, with only one study rated as good. There was insufficient evidence of enough quality to assess reliability/measurement error or convergent validity. Two-point discrimination, laterality judgement and movement control tests had moderate evidence supporting their ability to distinguish between healthy people and those with CLBP. Conclusions: Two-point discrimination, laterality judgment and movement control tests demonstrate the greatest level of known-groups validity for people with CLBP. However, as the reliability of these measurement tools has yet to be established, this validity data should be interpreted cautiously. Further research is warranted to investigate the clinimetric properties of these sensorimotor techniques.</p

BIOMECHANICAL LOADING OF THE LOWER EXTREMITIES DURING NORDIC WALKING – A FIELD STUDY

The purpose of this study was to analyse under field conditions the loading of the lower extremities during nordic walking compared to walking. For that purpose 14 experienced, middle aged nordic walkers and 6 nordic walking instructors have been asked to walk a 1575m field track in randomised sequence, once with and once without poles. The mean vertical ground reaction forces are not different between nordic walking and walking. The present results are showing that the common opinion of a load reduction of the lower extremities by 30-50 % during Nordic Walking has to be rejected

Positive und negative Aspekte des Lehramtsstudiums aus Sicht der Studierenden: Projektbericht; Ergebnisse aus Fragebogenstudien mit Lehramtsstudierenden an der Universität Leipzig

Universitäten treten im Zuge der demografischen Wende in einen Wettstreit um Studierende. Fasst man die Universität in diesem Sinne als Unternehmen, Studiengänge als Dienstleistungen und die Studierenden als Kundinnen und Kunden dieser Dienstleistungen auf, rückt die Sicherung und Weiterentwicklung der Qualität des gesamten Studienumfelds in den Mittelpunkt der Betrachtungen. Qualität wird hier in erster Linie als customer satisfaction verstanden, also als Zufriedenheit der Studierenden1. Darüber hinaus tragen die Rückmeldungen von Studierenden zur Weiterentwicklung der Lehrerbildung im Allgemeinen bei. Die Gesamtschau dieser Studierendeneinschätzung hilft zum einen Problembereiche des modularisierten BA-Studiums zu identifizieren und so Verbesserungspotentiale zu erkennen. Zum anderen gibt der Blick auf die positiven Aspekte des Studiums Rückmeldung zu erreichten Verbesserungen, sowie Bereichen in denen Veränderungen beibehalten oder verstärkt werden sollten. Nicht zuletzt dient dies der positiven Außendarstellung des Studiums an der Universität Leipzig

Beurteilung der Schulpraktischen Studien I: Projektbericht ; Ergebnisse von Fragebogenstudien mit Lehramtsstudierenden und Dozierenden an der Universität Leipzig

Die unzureichende Schulpraxis ist einer der Hauptkritikpunkte, den die Studierenden des polyvalenten Lehramtsbachelors an der Universität Leipzig vorbringen. Besonders hoch sind daher die Erwartungen an die im regulären Verlauf des Studiums verankerten Schulpraktika: die Schulpraktischen Studien (SPS). Die SPS I sind dabei eng mit einem wahlobligatorischen Begleitseminar verbunden, in welchem die Studierenden Methoden der Schul- und Unterrichtsforschung kennenlernen und befähigt werden sollen, diese bei systematischen Beobachtungen und zur Analyse der Schulwirklichkeit anzuwenden. Diese Ziele sowie die Rahmenbedingungen zur Erreichung derselben werden im Folgenden einer Einschätzung durch Studierende und Dozierende unterzogen. Ausgehend von diesen Einschätzungen, soll zunächst die Qualität der SPS I in Bezug auf ihre Stärken und Schwächen aus Perspektive der Befragten beschrieben werden, um darauf aufbauend Verbesserungsvorschläge zu unterbreiten und somit zur Weiterentwicklung der SPS I als wichtigem Baustein beitragen zu können. Im Hinblick auf die Veränderungen im Zuge der Einführung des modularisierten Staatsexamens, wurden die Rahmenbedingungen im betreffenden Modul angepasst. Die Rückmeldungen aus dieser Studie sehen wir dennoch als wichtigen Beitrag zur Sicherung und Weiterentwicklung der Qualität der Lehramtsstudiengänge an der Universität Leipzig

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation using an LTP-like repetitive stimulation protocol for patients with upper limb complex regional pain syndrome: A feasibility study

Introduction This feasibility study aimed to (i) develop a clinical protocol using a long-term potentiation-like repetitive stimulation protocol for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in patients with upper limb complex regional pain syndrome and (ii) develop a research protocol for a single-blind randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for complex regional pain syndrome. Methods This small-scale single-blind feasibility randomised-controlled trial planned to randomise 30 patients with upper limb complex regional pain syndrome to either a variant of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for three weeks. Stimulation comprised 20 pulses over 1 s with a non-stimulation interval of 5 s, a so-called repetitive electrical stimulation protocol following the timing of long-term potentiation. Pain, function and body image were measured at baseline, post-treatment and at three months follow-up. At three months, participants were invited to one-to-one interviews, which were analysed thematically. Results A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation protocol with electrodes applied proximal to the area of allodynia in the region of the upper arm was developed. Participant concordance with the protocol was high. Recruitment was below target (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (n = 6), placebo (n = 2)). Mean (SD) pain intensity for the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation group on a 0 to 10 scale was 7.2 (2.4), 6.6 (2.8) and 7.8 (1.9), at baseline, post-treatment and at three-month follow-up, respectively. Qualitative data suggested that some patients found transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation beneficial, easy to use and were still using it at three months. Conclusion Patients tolerated transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation well, and important methodological information to facilitate the design of a large-scale trial was obtained (ISRCTN48768534). </jats:sec

Blended intensive programs in higher education: collaborative innovation for digital health in physiotherapy

Blended Intensive Programs (BIP), merge short-term mobility with online collaboration to promote innovative learning and teaching approaches (BIP, 2024). These actions support joint program development for students, academics within Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and enable participants to create creative solutions, particularly in the context of Digital Health and Emerging Technologies in Health Care. Academics from nine institutions in eight countries developed a BIP to enhance participants' awareness and knowledge of integrating digital health into their practice. The two-month program, involving 11 teachers and 34 students, included online sessions and an in-person week. The course covered digital health technologies and their applications in physiotherapy, discussing innovative strategies to improve patient care and outcomes. Participants gained insights into the complexities of healthcare systems in different countries and the importance of incorporating digital health in the clinical context for professionals and patients. An online questionnaire collected student´s feedback, providing a comprehensive overview of their experiences and learning outcomes. Overall, most respondents (n=20) Agreed or Strongly agreed on the BIP's positive impact on their knowledge, awareness, and professional development in digital health. The responses indicate a favorable reception of the program's content and activities, reaffirming its essential role for future professionals.N/

Defining a competency framework for health and social professionals to promote healthy aging throughout the lifespan: an international Delphi study

The promotion of healthy aging has become a priority in most parts of the world and should be promoted at all ages. However, the baseline training of health and social professionals is currently not adequately tailored to these challenges. This paper reports the results of a Delphi study conducted to reach expert agreement about health and social professionals’ competencies to promote healthy aging throughout the lifespan within the SIENHA project. Materials and methods: This study was developed following the CREDES standards. The initial version of the competence framework was based on the results of a scoping review and following the CanMEDS model. The expert panel consisted of a purposive sample of twenty-two experts in healthy aging with diverse academic and clinical backgrounds, fields and years of expertise from seven European countries. Agreement was reached after three rounds. The final framework consisted of a set of 18 key competencies and 80 enabling competencies distributed across six domains. The SIENHA competence framework for healthy aging may help students and educators enrich their learning and the academic content of their subjects and/or programs and incentivize innovation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Professional competences to promote healthy ageing across the lifespan: a scoping review

As societies age, the development of resources and strategies that foster healthy ageing from the beginning of life become increasingly important. Social and healthcare professionals are key agents in this process; therefore, their training needs to be in agreement with societal needs. We performed a scoping review on professional competences for social and health workers to adequately promote healthy ageing throughout life, using the framework described by Arksey and O’Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute Guidelines. A stakeholder consultation was held in each of the participating countries, in which 79 experts took part. Results show that current literature has been excessively focused on the older age and that more attention on how to work with younger population groups is needed. Likewise, not all disciplines have equally refected on their role before this challenge and interprofessional approaches, despite showing promise, have not been sufciently described. Based on our results, health and social professionals working to promote healthy ageing across the lifespan will need sound competences regarding person-centred communication, professional communication, technology applications, physiological and pathophysiological aspects of ageing, social and environmental aspects, cultural diversity, programs and policies, ethics, general and basic skills, context and self-management-related skills, health promotion and disease prevention skills, educational and research skills, leadership skills, technological skills and clinical reasoning. Further research should contribute to establishing which competences are more relevant to each discipline and at what level they should be taught, as well as how they can be best implemented to efectively transform health and social care systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The translation, validity and reliability of the German version of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire

Background: The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) claims to assess disrupted self-perception of the back. The aim of this study was to develop a German version of the Fre-BAQ (FreBAQ-G) and assess its test-retest reliability, its known-groups validity and its convergent validity with another purported measure of back perception. Methods: The FreBaQ-G was translated following international guidelines for the transcultural adaptation of questionnaires. Thirty-five patients with non-specific CLBP and 48 healthy participants were recruited. Assessor one administered the FreBAQ-G to each patient with CLBP on two separate days to quantify intra-observer reliability. Assessor two administered the FreBaQ-G to each patient on day 1. The scores were compared to those obtained by assessor one on day 1 to assess inter-observer reliability. Known-groups validity was quantified by comparing the FreBAQ-G score between patients and healthy controls. To assess convergent validity, patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were correlated to their two-point discrimination (TPD) scores. Results: Intra- and Inter-observer reliability were both moderate with ICC3.1 = 0.88 (95%CI: 0.77 to 0.94) and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.79 to 0.94), respectively. Intra- and inter-observer limits of agreement (LoA) were 6.2 (95%CI: 5.0±8.1) and 6.0 (4.8±7.8), respectively. The adjusted mean difference between patients and controls was 5.4 (95%CI: 3.0 to 7.8, p\u3c0.01). Patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were not associated with TPD thresholds (Pearson\u27s r = -0.05, p = 0.79). Conclusions: The FreBAQ-G demonstrated a degree of reliability and known-groups validity. Interpretation of patient level data should be performed with caution because the LoA were substantial. It did not demonstrate convergent validity against TPD. Floor effects of some items of the FreBAQ-G may have influenced the validity and reliability results. The clinimetric properties of the FreBAQ-G require further investigation as a simple measure of disrupted self-perception of the back before firm recommendations on its use can be made