The problem of low back pain is visibly increasing. About 80% of the population suffers from low back pain. Recently, the factors that affect lumbar stability have been an area of extensive research. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of lumbar stabilization exercises program for young women (19-20 years) with low back pain. The following objectives were put forward: to assess stability of lumbar spine of young women before applying exercises program and after 10 weeks of muscular strengthening exercises around the lumbar spine; to evaluate changes in the core muscles before and after specific stabilization exercises and pain assessment. The study included a group of 37 young women (19-20 years), who felt low back pain at least once in their life. All participants were randomly allocated to either training group, which consisted of 20 young women or control group, which consisted of 17 participants. The subjects in the training group attended two supervised 1 hour exercise sessions per week for 10 weeks. A program of special physical exercises to improve core musculature was created for them. The exercise training program required training of deep muscles. In order to retrain the deep muscles, specific and testing with the STABILIZER was required. The control subjects continued their usual physical activities during the week. Both groups were assessed similarly two times: before training began and after it ended.mekis.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a challenging problem in Nova Scotia and is a leading cause of disability and a contributor to high health related costs to the system. The primary objective of this thesis is to develop and test a methodology for the creation of an electronic standardized assessment tool for chronic conditions such as CLBP using a triangulation method. The methodology involves evidence-based, expert and explicit clinical knowledge in the development of the tool. The outcome of this research is the development of a methodology model for the generation of electronic standardized assessment form for CLBP with 30 predictive factors. Experts evaluated the form for its use and usefulness, usability, and standardized terminologies. Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha were used to measure inter-rater reliabilities among experts. The results were in the fair and moderate levels of agreement due to the limitation in sample size and the variation of disciplines among participants.

Measures of working memory capacity are associated with performance on a variety of cognitive tasks. A number of recent studies have provided evidence that training working memory can lead to improvements in fluid intelligence and performance on other untrained tasks. However, many of these studies suffer from design limitations. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of working memory training on measures of fluid intelligence, reasoning, working memory, and attentional control by comparing a training group with an active control group. The training group improved more than the active control group on some, but not all outcome measures. Differential improvement for the training group was observed on fluid intelligence, working memory capacity, and response times on conflict trials in the Stroop task. In addition, individual differences in pre-training fluid intelligence scores and initial performance on the training task explain some of the variance in outcome measure improvements.

Purpose: The overall aim of this thesis is to contribute new knowledge by examining psychosocial factors and return-to-work profiles of occupational low back pain patients in a rehabilitation clinic. Outcome measures for injured workers with subacute low back pain included: change in measures, program utilization, pain profiles and return-to-work. Methods: A total of 147 patients who met the eligibility criteria and consented, participated in a clinic-based, individualized, exercise-based treatment that included patient education and reassurance. A before-and-after design was used, with data collection on admission to and discharge from the program. Results: Pre-to-post analyses revealed that statistically significant improvements had occurred. However, subgroup analyses revealed differences in responses to treatment among the subgroups. Specifically, two sets of cluster analyses were conducted; each yielded two distinct subgroups of patients, one set with different lengths of time in the program, and another showing two pain intensity profiles. Furthermore, return-to-work rates varied between the groups although the overall return-to-work rate appeared high. Conclusion: Significant improvement was achieved following participation in the return-to-work rehabilitation program. However, participants with subacute nonspecific low back pain do not form a homogenous group in terms of their clinical presentation and responses to rehabilitation. Therefore, special attention might be warranted for subgroups within the sample, whom are at an increased risk for prolonged disability. / Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-28 15:40:39.13

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Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition experienced by human beings and the most common cause of disability in developed nations. Psychosocial factors, involving aspects of social and psychological behaviour, have previously been documented as potential risk factors in the development of adult LBP. However, more research is required to fully understand the role of psychosocial risk factors on the prevalence of LBP amongst adolescents. Objective: To determine the prevalence of LBP and to identify selected psychosocial risk factors associated with LBP amongst Grade 12 learners in the Greater Durban area. Methods: A population-based study was conducted amongst a stratified random sample of 20 public secondary schools in all three educational districts in the Greater Durban area. Data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire administered to the sample population consisting of Grade 12 learners. Using an exploratory research design, the individuals reported on demographics as well as prevalence, severity, frequency and chronicity of LBP. In addition, data was obtained regarding various psychosocial risk factors including depression, exam stress and anxiety, socio-economic status, family history of LBP, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse amongst the respondents. Results: The prevalence of LBP was 57.42% with a median frequency of 8 times a month. About a third (33.9%) of the respondents experienced difficulty bending whilst 35% reported that their LBP spread down to the legs below their knees. The daily activity most affected by LBP was having a good night‟s sleep (50.6%), followed closely by playing sports (47.4%) and concentrating in class (46.6%). The majority of the respondents that suffered from LBP had taken pain relief medication (47.1%) whilst only 21% of the respondents had missed school because of LBP. With regards to the psychosocial risk factors under investigation, three of the risk factors did not show any association to LBP. They included socio-economic status, smoking and recreational drug use. In contrast, five psychosocial risk factors showed an 6 association to LBP. They included alcohol abuse, family history, exam stress, anxiety and depression. Finally, after adjusting for all other risk factors for adolescent LBP, depression and high exam stress showed the strongest correlation with the occurrence of LBP amongst Grade 12 learners in the Greater Durban area. Conclusion: LBP amongst adolescents is a common problem that increases with age, representing a risk for LBP in adulthood. The researcher is of the opinion, that this illustrates the need for further investigations with more profound studies on the risk factors so that more light can be shed on how to manage this ever-growing problem.

Many people all over the world suffer from back pain. It is unavoidable for pregnant women too. According to various authors, about 50 % of women suffer from this symptom. During pregnancy, high loads that are influenced by mechanical as well as hormonal factors affect the spine. The aim of the work was to evaluate effectiveness of the muscle flexion and strengthening program in the reduction of back pain in pregnancy. In the research, the state of muscles producing waste and pelvis movements was evaluated before and after kinesiotherapy application in pregnant women suffering from back pain, and an influence of flexion and strengthening for muscle condition was evaluated in pregnant women suffering from back pain. The research lasted 10 weeks and it was performed in the Kaunas Clinical Hospital II in 2004. In total, 56 pregnant women were surveyed. 12 women participated in the kinesiotherapy program (experimental group), 11 women who did not participate in the kinesiotherapy program due to various reasons were attributed to the control group. Remaining 33 women did not participate in the research due to earlier problems with spine, syndrome of pelvic ligament relaxation or other individual reasons. Results of these two groups were compared and analyzed. Tests that were performed before and after the research show that results of the experimental group have improved significantly, while women in the control group have reported pain and disturbed physical activity. Pain... [to full text]

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