Perceptions of the clinical efficacy of laser therapy

Adoption of therapeutic lasers has been widespread throughout Australia in recent years. A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst therapists in Victoria who were believed to have purchased this apparatus. The study sought to determine the extent of laser use in Victoria; the indications, techniques, dosage, expectations and outcomes; and the background knowledge about lasers possessed by the respondents.The elbow and shoulder were the most commonly treated regions; tendonitis and ligamentous lesions the most frequently treated disorders; pain relief and wound healing the most commonly expected effects; and 30mm the average expected penetration. Although 57.9 per cent of respondents attended one or more seminars prior to purchasing lasers, journals and other reading were given as the most valuable source of knowledge

Early Results From the ‘Diggers to Veterans’ Longitudinal Study of Australian Men who Served in the First World War. Short- and Long-Term Mortality of Early Enlisters

As the world marks the centenaries of the First World War, we still know remarkably little about the life course effects of military service. This paper reports on the first iteration of a cradle-to-grave dataset of men who enlisted and served overseas in the First World War from the state of Victoria, Australia. It examines mortality during military service and in civilian life and finds that mortality in both cases was strongly correlated with individual characteristics. Tall men and young single men were more likely to die in the war. In civilian life, mortality followed closely the pattern for Australian men, and was again highly correlated with individual characteristics and social class

Science in our hands: physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne 1895-2010

© 2015 Dr. Joan Merrilyn McMeekenAt a time when medicine could offer little therapeutic benefit, physiotherapists cured medical conditions by increasing circulation, strengthening muscle, breaking down adhesions, improving metabolism, affecting the nervous system, and restoring symmetrical and normal development and movement. Physiotherapy cured whilst medicine waited for nature to heal. This untold story of physiotherapy education in Victoria, Australia, is seen through the bifocal analytical lens of professionalisation and embodiment in the development of physiotherapists. As narrative and autobiographical history it identifies key physiotherapists and the relationships with medicine and medical sciences. It provides the background to the emergence of practitioners in the nineteenth century and their local recognition by the end of the century. The major professionalisation milestones include the formation of an association and education in conjunction with the University of Melbourne in 1906, and the expanding clinical roles of women and men physiotherapists in the two World Wars. The itinerant physiotherapy services, commenced in the 1930s to treat people with poliomyelitis, extended its services to a wider community, becoming the forerunner of primary contact autonomous practice in 1976. These significant events influenced education. Whilst continuing to undertake biomedical sciences subjects at the University of Melbourne, the School of Physiotherapy became established initially at Fairfield Hospital and then Lincoln Institute. The proposal to transfer Lincoln to La Trobe University in the 1980s induced the members of the physiotherapy profession to campaign successfully for the University of Melbourne to commence its School of Physiotherapy in 1991. The development of comprehensive education and research programmes and an expanding physiotherapy epistemology conclude this exploration of the professionalisation journey

Musculoskeletal injuries in elite pianists : prevalence and associated risk factors

Pianists seem prone to Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs), however little piano-specific epidemiological research into such disorders has been undertaken. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of PRMDs in a sample of elite (conservatory) pianists, identify associated risk factors and gather information regarding PRMD symptom distribution. A survey of pianists enrolled at a large Australian university keyboard conservatory was undertaken. Survey items were developed from qualitative research that validated a PRMD definition for pianists and identified relevant perceived risk factors. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques were used. Sixty-eight percent of pianists reported experiencing symptoms that interferred with their piano playing in the week prior to completing the survey. Statistically significant risk factors associated with PRMDs following were high levels of perceived stress and self-reported increased muscle tension when playing the piano. Survey participants reporting both high stress and increased muscle tension had an 84% chance of having a PRMD. Anatomical areas most requently affected by PRMD symptoms were the posterior neck, shoulders and upper middle back. Knowledge of these risk factors, and the anatomical areas frequently affected by PRMDs, can aid piano teachers in the recognition and management of these disorders in consultation with appropriate health professionals