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OBJECTIVE To evaluate potential prognostic factors of self-reported lumbopelvic pain 6 months postpartum for pregnant women with and without lumbopelvic pain. METHODS Questionnaires were answered at gestational weeks 34-37 and again at 6 months postpartum. Psychosocial determinants and lumbopelvic pain symptoms were investigated using a visual analogue scale to assess pain intensity, and further using the Disability Rating Index, the Nottingham Health Profile, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the data. RESULTS Of the 260 women who answered the questionnaires on both occasions, 186 did not suffer from lumbopelvic pain 6 months after pregnancy. The remaining 74 did. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that fear-avoidance beliefs was a significant predictor of lumbopelvic pain 6 months postpartum, with an odds ratio of 1.060 (p ≤ .05). CONCLUSION Women with high fear-avoidance beliefs at 34-37 weeks of gestation had a higher risk of having lumbopelvic pain at 6 months postpartum. We theorize that early lumbopelvic pain intervention postpartum may be important in avoiding chronicity. Women at risk can be identified through clinically relevant questions which may help the clinician to choose appropriate rehabilitation strategies.

Lymphoedema after breast cancer surgery is a chronic condition. Lymphoedema treatment consists of information/advice, compression, physical exercise, skin care, and manual lymph drainage. Little is known about how patients experience, adapt, and respond to lymphoedema treatment. Thus, the purpose of the study was to investigate and describe women's perceptions of lymphoedema treatment after breast cancer surgery. Sixteen women with breast-cancer-related lymphoedema, recruited from four hospitals and two rehabilitation clinics, participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using a phenomenographic method. Five qualitatively different categories of description could be identified: uncertainty, disappointment, guilt and shame, safety, and autonomy. The categories could be described based on a two-dimensional structure: the patients role (internal vs. external locus of control) and an understanding of lymphoedema as a chronic disease or a burden. The study has provided a deeper understanding of different ways in which patients perceive and respond to lymphoedema treatment. The present findings enable the lymphoedema therapist to individualise treatment and counselling based on each patient's approach to the patient role, ability to take responsibility for treatment, and acceptance of lymphoedema as a chronic disease.

To examine and compare levels of catastrophizing, fear-avoidance beliefs, physical ability, and health-related quality of life in women with and without lumbopelvic pain (LP and NLP) in early pregnancy.A cross-sectional study of early pregnancy.Five midwife clinics, one in the center, two in the outskirts of Stockholm, and two in a medium-sized town.Three hundred and twenty-four women in the 19th-21st week of pregnancy.Questionnaires.The Pain Catastrophizing Scale of exaggerated negative thoughts about pain experiences, the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire of beliefs about how physical activity and work affect back pain, the Disability Rating Index of physical ability, and the Nottingham Health Profile to assess health-related quality of life.Two groups were defined: LP (n=141) and NLP (n=183). The Mann-Whitney U-test was used for comparisons. Pregnant women with LP had significantly (p0.05) higher levels of exaggerated negative thoughts and fear-avoidance beliefs. They also had lower physical ability and health-related quality of life compared to women in the NLP group.It is important to consider exaggerated negative thoughts about pain experiences and fear-avoidance beliefs when treating women with LP during pregnancy and to be aware of the great impact lumbopelvic pain has on women's lives during early pregnancy.

Background and Purpose. Many women suffer from back pain and experience activity limitation post-partum. To our knowledge the physiological factors and physiotherapy related to back pain post-partum have received limited evaluation and the effectiveness of specific physiotherapeutic approaches to exercise should be tested. In addition, there has been limited research on kinesiophobia in women with back pain post-partum. The purpose of the current study was to test the influence of specific trunk muscle training on pain, activity limitation and kinesiophobia in 10 subjects with back pain post-partum. Method. The treatment consisted of specific deep muscle training of the transversus abdominus and multifidus muscles. Pain was rated based on the visual analogue scale (VAS) and pain drawings. Activity limitation was recorded using the Disability Rating Index. Kinesiophobia was evaluated using the Swedish version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. An A–B–A single-subject research design was used and a number of measurements were obtained during each phase. The analysis consisted of a visual inspection and a two standard deviation band test (2-SD). Results. The visual analysis showed a trend towards reduced pain and activity limitation for all 10 subjects. The 2-SD test showed mixed results among all subjects. In addition, all subjects reported kinesiophobia before and after treatment. Conclusions. Individual specific deep muscle training of the transversus abdominus and multifidus muscles reduced pain and activity limitation in women with back pain post-partum. Further research is needed to determine more precisely how kinesiophobia affects women with back pain post-partum. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.