Introduction: Identifying patients at risk for chronic musculoskeletal pain can inform evaluation and treatment decisions. The ability of physical therapists to assess patients’ risk for chronic pain without use of validated tools has been questioned. The Ӧrebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire (OMPQ) is used to determine risk for chronic pain. Methods: The aim of this pragmatic study was to prospectively quantify the agreement between physical therapists’ assessment of patients’ risk for chronic symptoms compared to the OMPQ. Patients were asked to complete the OMPQ during the initial visit. Physical therapists, blinded to OMPQ risk classification, carried out their usual patient assessment procedures. The physical therapists rated patients as either high or low risk for chronic pain based on their clinical assessment. Agreement between therapist and OMPQ was determined using Cohen’s Kappa (κ) and screening accuracy compared clinician risk to the OMPQ risk classification (reference standard) by way of contingency table analysis. Results: Ninety-six (96) patients’ risk classifications and 15 corresponding physical therapists’ risk estimates were available for analysis. The OMPQ identified a 47% prevalence for high risk of chronic pain. Agreement (κ and 95% confidence interval) between physical therapist rating and OMPQ was slight, κ = 0.272 (0.033–0.421), p = .026. Therapists’ sensitivity and specificity (95% CI) for determining risk classifications were 60.0% (44.3–74.3) and 62.8% (48.1–75.6), respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios (95% CI) were 1.61 (1.05–2.47) and 0.64 (0.42–0.97). Discussion: The use of validated self-report questionnaires are recommended to supplement clinician prognosis for patients at risk of chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Introduction Developmental dysplasia of the hip has since 1953 in Sweden most commonly been treated with the von Rosen splint. Over time, different types of splints have been developed, one of which is the Orebro splint. In some countries it is advised to have long-term follow-ups with radiological exams of patients treated with a splint. In Orebro, there is currently no mandatory follow-up after treatment with the Orebro splint. Aim The aims were to investigate how many children, despite treatment with the Orebro splint, developed dysplasia in the adolescence period, to study the hip function in children treated with the Orebro splint and investigate if there were any differences in treatment outcomes between males and females. Methods All children born between 2000 and 2012, treated with the Orebro splint, were eligible for inclusion. The outcome measures for quality of life and hip function were EQ-5D-Y-VAS and CHOHES score. The outcome measures for the pelvic radiological exams were Acetabular Index and Center Edge angle. Results Data from 46 patients were collected, 7 males and 39 females. 5,3% of the patients showed residual dysplasia. Both males and females showed overall good results in the radiological images, the surveys, and the clinical exams. The results did not show significant differences between the genders. Conclusion Even though our participants reported an overall good quality of life, our results showed some cases of residual dysplasia. However, the small sample size makes it difficult to assess whether the Orebro splint is equal to other splints regarding treatment outcomes.

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong></p> <p>The purpose of this study was to determine what cut-off of the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire score will best differentiate workers with acute musculoskeletal injuries at-risk for delayed return to work (greater than 3 months), in a population of workers of less than 3 weeks injury duration.</p> <p><strong>Study Design:</strong></p> <p>Retrospective cohort design, using a sample of convenience.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong></p> <p>A sample of 259 consecutive WCB patients seeking assessment and treatment at a multidisciplinary rehabilitation facility were reviewed, with 152 meeting the inclusion criteria of having sustained a soft tissue injury within 3 weeks of initial assessment. Descriptive statistics, tests of difference between Time 1 and Time 2 OMPSQ scores and Receiver Operator Characteristic curves were generated. The method of determining predictive ability of the OMPSQ at two points in time was by means of ROC analysis.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong></p> <p>This study determined that the OMPSQ is moderately predictive of failure to achieve timely return to work (RTW) in a population of injured workers with acute musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries, when assessed two-weeks after treatment is initiated, and less predictive at the initial intake into treatment. Delayed RTW was defined as those workers who had not returned to their pre-injury job full time by 90 days, due to reduced functional ability as it related to their pre-injury occupation.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong></p> <p>This study demonstrates that there is variability in cut-off scores across studies. Future research should attempt to define cut-off scores as they relate to the population , outcome, condition and time-frame of interest . <strong></strong></p> / Master of Science Rehabilitation Science (MSc)