Well-described exercises for chronic low back pain in Life Science Literature: A systematic review

Description of massage interventions in randomised clinical trials for neck pain; a review using the TIDieR checklist

OBJECTIVE

How interventions are reported can impact the ability to implement these intervention in clinical practice. Therefore, our aim is to assess the reporting of massage interventions in randomised controlled trials for patients with neck pain.

DATA SOURCES

This manuscript concerns a secondary analysis of trials evaluating massage for neck pain selected for a scoping review. An updated literature search was completed using four databases to 31 July 2023.

REVIEW METHODS

Trials were selected that evaluate massage interventions. Two independent assessors extracted descriptive information, methodological quality (PEDro-scale) and assessed completeness of reporting of the intervention using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDier-checklist). We present frequencies of the extracted data.

RESULTS

We included 35 trials (2840 patients) with neck pain. Most trials (n = 23) included patients with chronic non-specific neck pain. We found a wide variety of massage interventions from Chinese massage, Swedish massage to myofascial release. In addition, the dose, number of sessions and the duration of the intervention varied widely. The methodological quality overall was fair to good (varied between 4-8/10), and we found a moderate completeness of reporting. All trials provided the name of the intervention, 30 (86%) provided a rationale and 26 (74%) trials described details of the massage intervention.

CONCLUSION

The massage interventions were moderately described in trials in patients with neck pain, but provided enough information to guide the decision making for designing future Network Meta-analysis as to what trials need to be considered when grouping massage interventions in a clinically relevant way.

Factors associated with return to play following conservative treatment for lumbar spondylolysis among young athletes: A retrospective case series using structural equation modeling

INTRODUCTION

Lumbar spondylolysis is the most common underlying cause of lower back pain (LBP) in young athletes. Conservative treatment methods are often used to reduce pain and promote healing. Several parameters may affect the duration of conservative treatment, such as the time to return to play (RTP), patient behavior, and physical parameters; however, no study has comprehensively assessed the factors that affect the time to RTP.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the time required for RTP among young athletes with early-stage spondylolysis receiving conservative treatment using structural equation modeling (SEM).

METHODS

In this retrospective case series, 137 young athletes (128 males and 9 females, aged 9-18 years) with early-stage lumbar spondylolysis were enrolled. All patients were examined using plain radiography and magnetic resonance imaging and treated conservatively (sports cessation, wearing a corset, therapeutic exercises, and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound radiation). SEM was used to investigate the factors affecting the time to RTP in these patients.

RESULTS

The final model included the following factors: spondylolysis laterality, symptom duration, lower-extremity flexibility, treatment interval, patient adherence, and residual LBP. SEM revealed that patient adherence to physician orders (p < 0.01), treatment interval (p < 0.001), and spondylolysis laterality (p < 0.001) contributed directly to shortened RTP.

CONCLUSION

Patient adherence is essential for reducing the time to RTP among young athletes receiving conservative treatment for early-stage spondylolysis.