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BackgroundClinical experience of manual therapy for musculoskeletal pain is that patients often suffer from recurrent pain and disorders, but that they do not continue to perform their physical home exercises when they are free from symptoms. The chance of positive long-term effects of manual therapy would probably increase if patients were reminded that they are to continue to perform their exercises. Mobile phone text messaging (short messaging service, SMS) is increasingly used as an innovative intervention to remind patient to exercise. However, there are only a few studies on such interventions in the field of low back pain (LBP). Qualitative studies of patients’ experiences of receiving text messages as reminders of home exercises after manual treatment for recurrent LBP have to the best of our knowledge never been published. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore older persons’ common experiences of receiving reminders of home exercises through mobile phone text messaging after specialized manual therapy for recurrent LBP. MethodsA total of 7 men and 8 women (67-86 years), who had sought specialized manual therapy (Naprapathic manual therapy) for recurrent LBP were included in the study. Individual one-way text messages as reminders of home exercises (to be performed on a daily basis) were sent to each patient every third day for 3 weeks, then once a week for another 2 weeks. Semistructured interviews with 2 broad, open-ended questions were held and data were analyzed with systematic text condensation, based on Giorgi’s principles of psychological phenomenological analysis. ResultsThe participants appreciated the messages, which were perceived as timely and usable, and also stimulated memorizing. The messages made the participants reflect on the aim of the exercise, value of being reminded, and on their improvement in pain. During the interviews, the participants created their own routines for continued adherence to the exercises. ConclusionsIt seems plausible that mobile phone text messaging may serve as a useful tool for patient empowerment with regard to recurrent LBP in older persons. Further studies are needed to explore whether future compliance with the exercises will be as large if the participants are not being interviewed.

Background: Individuals' expectations on returning to work after an injury have been shown to predict the duration of time that a person with work-related low back pain will remain on benefits; individuals with lower recovery expectations received benefits for a longer time than those with higher expectations. The role of expectations in recovery from traumatic neck pain, in particular whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), has not been assessed to date to our knowledge. The aim of this study was to investigate if expectations for recovery are a prognostic factor after experiencing a WAD.Methods and Findings: We used a prospective cohort study composed of insurance claimants in Sweden. The participants were car occupants who filed a neck injury claim (i.e., for WAD) to one of two insurance companies between 15 January 2004 and 12 January 2005 (n = 1,032). Postal questionnaires were completed shortly (average 23 d) after the collision and then again 6 mo later. Expectations for recovery were measured with a numerical rating scale (NRS) at baseline, where 0 corresponds to "unlikely to make a full recovery" and 10 to "very likely to make a full recovery." The scale was reverse coded and trichotomised into NRS 0, 1-4, and 5-10. The main outcome measure was self-perceived disability at 6 mo postinjury, measured with the Pain Disability Index, and categorised into no/low, moderate, and high disability. Multivariable polytomous logistic regression was used for the analysis. There was a dose response relationship between recovery expectations and disability. After controlling for severity of physical and mental symptoms, individuals who stated that they were less likely to make a full recovery (NRS 5-10), were more likely to have a high disability compared to individuals who stated that they were very likely to make a full recovery (odds ratio [OR] 4.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1 to 8.5]. For the intermediate category (NRS 1-4), the OR was 2.1 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.2). Associations between expectations and disability were also found among individuals with moderate disability.Conclusions: Individuals' expectations for recovery are important in prognosis, even after controlling for symptom severity. Interventions designed to increase patients' expectations may be beneficial and should be examined further in controlled studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examined manual therapy business owners' perception of official recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on their clinics' economic performance, including clinic activity hours and business turnover., Materials and Methods: In a longitudinal study design, data were collected in November 2021 (baseline), and after three months, six months, and 12 months. Participants were manual therapists who were business owners. A growth curve model was used to analyze differences in clinical activity trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between perceived disruptions in business and turnover. Qualitative text analysis was used to examine participants' responses to open-ended questions concerning economic measures taken to sustain their business during the pandemic., Results: This study of 443 manual therapy business owners found that clinics were initially active with minimal variation, but activity changed following COVID-19 recommendations. Business owners perceived that the disruptions had no significant impact on turnover during the initial stages of the official recommendations. Economic support and the previous decrease in turnover increased the likelihood of experiencing a decreased turnover at 12 months. Business owners implemented cost-cutting measures and diversified income sources to navigate COVID-19 challenges and sustain their businesses., Conclusion: The official recommendations in Sweden had an impact on manual therapists' businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic lingered. Some business owners were concerned at the early stages about lower turnover but showed financial resilience by cutting costs and finding new revenue sources to overcome COVID-19 challenges., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Aboagye et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Research waste is defined as research outcomes with no or minimal societal benefits. It is a widespread problem in the healthcare field. Four primary sources of research waste have been defined: (1) irrelevant or low priority research questions, (2) poor design or methodology, (3) lack of publication, and (4) biased or inadequate reporting. This commentary, which was developed by a multidisciplinary group of researchers with spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) research expertise, discusses waste in SMT research and provides suggestions to improve future research., Main Text: This commentary examines common sources of waste in SMT research, focusing on design and methodological issues, by drawing on prior research and examples from clinical and mechanistic SMT studies. Clinical research is dominated by small studies and studies with a high risk of bias. This problem is compounded by systematic reviews that pool heterogenous data from varying populations, settings, and application of SMT. Research focusing on the mechanisms of SMT often fails to address the clinical relevance of mechanisms, relies on very short follow-up periods, and has inadequate control for contextual factors., Conclusions: This call to action is directed to researchers in the field of SMT. It is critical that the SMT research community act to improve the way research is designed, conducted, and disseminated. We present specific key action points and resources, which should enhance the quality and usefulness of future SMT research., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to describe dietary habits in Swedish adolescent handball players and differences with respect to sex and school grade., Methods: Participants in the Swedish Handball Cohort answered a web-survey assessing adherence to sports nutrition recommendations for meal frequency and meal timing, and the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) for fruits/vegetables and fish/seafood, food exclusions and use of dietary supplements. Differences with respect to sex and school grade were estimated with generalised linear models, generating prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% CIs., Results: A total of 1040 participants (16.6±0.9 years, 51% males) were included. Overall, 70% and 90%, respectively, met recommendations for meal frequency and meal timing, whereas adherence to recommended carbohydrate intake during training/game was met by 17%. Adherence to the NNR for fruits/vegetables and fish/seafood was met by 16% and 37%, respectively. Twenty-eight per cent reported using dietary supplements. Females reported lower frequency of meals, especially morning snacks (-0.6 days/week (95% CI -0.3 to -0.9)) and evening snacks (-0.8 days/week (95% CI -0.5 to -1.1)), higher prevalence of exclusions due to intolerances (PR 1.66 (95% CI 1.31 to 2.01)) and other reasons (PR 1.36 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.64)), higher adherence to the NNR for fruits/vegetables (PR 2.30 (95% CI 1.98 to 2.62)) and use of micronutrient supplements (PR 1.72 (95% CI 1.43 to 2.00)) compared with males. Only small differences were observed between school grades., Conclusions: Swedish adolescent handball players' dietary habits are fairly in accordance with sports nutrition recommendations but not the NNR. Females appear to display more restrictive habits than males., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: To determine the association between different aspects of study environment and the incidence of mental health problems and activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems., Design, Setting and Participants: We recruited a cohort of 4262 Swedish university students of whom 2503 (59%) were without moderate or worse mental health problems and 2871 (67%) without activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems at baseline. The participants were followed at five time points over 1 year using web surveys., Exposures: Self-rated discrimination, high study pace, low social cohesion and poor physical environment measured at baseline., Outcomes: Self-rated mental health problems defined as scoring above cut-off on any of the subscales of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Self-rated activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems in any body location assessed by the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire., Statistical Analysis: Discrete survival-time analysis was used to estimate the hazard rate ratio (HR) of each exposure-outcome combination while adjusting for gender, age, living situation, education type, year of studies, place of birth and parental education as potential confounders., Results: For discrimination, adjusted HRs were 1.75 (95% CI 1.40 to 2.19) for mental health problems and 1.39 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.72) for activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems. For high study pace, adjusted HRs were 1.70 (95% CI 1.48 to 1.94) for mental health problems and 1.25 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.43) for activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems. For low social cohesion, adjusted HRs were 1.51 (95% CI 1.29 to 1.77) for mental health problems and 1.08 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.25) for activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems. For perceived poor physical study environment, adjusted HRs were 1.20 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.45) for mental health problems and 1.20 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.43) for activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems., Conclusions: Several aspects of the study environment were associated with the incidence of mental health problems and activity-limiting musculoskeletal problems in this sample of Swedish university students., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on healthcare, and the health of healthcare workers has been subject of much research. However, studies of health-related factors in manual therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce. Research in this field can provide valuable insights for future crises policy and guidelines, including in regions where the public health response to COVID-19 contrasts with that of most other international jurisdictions. The aim was to describe the prevalence of psychological distress and musculoskeletal pain, and to investigate factors potentially associated with high psychological distress and activity-limiting musculoskeletal pain in clinically active chiropractors and naprapaths during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to a representative sample of Swedish manual therapists, between November 2020 and January 2021. High psychological distress and activity-limiting musculoskeletal pain were investigated regarding associations with residing in a municipality with a high spread of infection, a previous/ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infection, clinical interferences and economic consequences associated with the pandemic. Generalized Linear Models with log link and binomial distribution were used, computing prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI)., Results: A total of 762 participants were included, representing 46% of the source population. The prevalence of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms was 17%, 7%, and 12%, respectively. Neck (50%), low back (46%), upper back (40%), and shoulders (39%) were the most prevalent musculoskeletal pain areas. Economic consequences due to the pandemic were associated with high psychological distress (PR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.48-3.53)., Conclusions: During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, manual therapists primarily suffered from musculoskeletal pain related to the back and shoulders, while depressive symptoms were the most common symptom of psychological distress. Owners of businesses that suffered economic consequences had a higher prevalence of high psychological distress, which may call for targeted support of this group in future similar contexts. Future longitudinal studies during the pandemic are warranted to assess these associations further., (© 2023. Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australasia, European Academy of Chiropractic, The Royal College of Chiropractors, Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics and BioMed Central Ltd.)

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is fundamental to the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective health care. Naprapaths, manual therapy providers that specialize in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, became a Swedish licensed health profession in 1994. This study investigated the attitudes, skills and implementation of EBP among licensed naprapaths in Sweden., Methods: Licensed naprapaths (n = 950) of Svenska Naprapatförbundet (the Swedish Naprapathy Association) were invited by email to take part in this cross-sectional anonymous online study using the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude and Utilisation Survey in February 2019., Results: Fourteen percent (137/950) of invited naprapaths completed the survey. There was an approximately equal gender divide among responders; most were in the mid-career age range, practiced in city areas, and had a university or college certificate/diploma as their highest qualification. The majority of naprapaths agreed or strongly agreed that EBP was necessary in the practice of naprapathy, assisted them in making care decisions, and improved the quality of patient care. Naprapaths' self-reported skills in EBP were mostly in the moderate to moderate-high range. The majority of participating naprapaths reported infrequent implementation of EBP. Perceived minor or moderate barriers to EBP uptake included a lack of colleague support for EBP and a lack of relevant resources. Access to the internet and free online databases were reported as very useful enablers to improving EBP uptake., Conclusions: The licensed naprapaths participating in this survey reported positive attitudes toward EBP, moderate levels of EBP skills, and infrequent implementation of EBP., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Importance: Procrastination is prevalent among university students and is hypothesized to lead to adverse health outcomes. Previous cross-sectional research suggests that procrastination is associated with mental and physical health outcomes, but longitudinal evidence is currently scarce., Objective: To evaluate the association between procrastination and subsequent health outcomes among university students in Sweden., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was based on the Sustainable University Life study, conducted between August 19, 2019, and December 15, 2021, in which university students recruited from 8 universities in the greater Stockholm area and Örebro were followed up at 5 time points over 1 year. The present study used data on 3525 students from 3 time points to assess whether procrastination was associated with worse health outcomes 9 months later., Exposure: Self-reported procrastination, measured using 5 items from the Swedish version of the Pure Procrastination Scale rated on a Likert scale from 1 ("very rarely or does not represent me") to 5 ("very often or always represents me") and summed to give a total procrastination score ranging from 5 to 25., Main Outcomes and Measures: Sixteen self-reported health outcomes were assessed at the 9-month follow-up. These included mental health problems (symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress), disabling pain (neck and/or upper back, lower back, upper extremities, and lower extremities), unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (poor sleep quality, physical inactivity, tobacco use, cannabis use, alcohol use, and breakfast skipping), psychosocial health factors (loneliness and economic difficulties), and general health., Results: The study included 3525 participants (2229 women [63%]; mean [SD] age, 24.8 [6.2] years), with a follow-up rate of 73% (n = 2587) 9 months later. The mean (SD) procrastination score at baseline was 12.9 (5.4). An increase of 1 SD in procrastination was associated with higher mean symptom levels of depression (β, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.09-0.17), anxiety (β, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.04-0.12), and stress (β, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.08-0.15), and having disabling pain in the upper extremities (risk ratio [RR], 1.27; 95% CI, 1.14-1.42), poor sleep quality (RR, 1.09, 95% CI, 1.05-1.14), physical inactivity (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04-1.11), loneliness (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.12), and economic difficulties (RR, 1.15, 95% CI, 1.02-1.30) at the 9-month follow-up, after controlling for a large set of potential confounders., Conclusions and Relevance: This cohort study of Swedish university students suggests that procrastination is associated with subsequent mental health problems, disabling pain, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, and worse psychosocial health factors. Considering that procrastination is prevalent among university students, these findings may be of importance to enhance the understanding of students' health.

Background: Normative values of lifestyle characteristics in adolescent female football players may be used by clinicians and coaches to take actions because the potential important for well-being, performance on the pitch, and risk of injury. The aim was to report descriptive characteristics of lifestyle factors in adolescent female football players and potential changes over 1 year., Methods: We included 419 adolescent competitive female football players from 12 clubs and 27 teams (age 14 ± 1 years, range 12-17 years) and 286 were followed over 1 year. The players completed an extensive questionnaire regarding demographics, football-related factors, and lifestyle factors including tobacco consumption, alcohol use, medicine intake, eating and sleeping habits, well-being, stress, coping, and passion. Baseline data are presented for the total cohort and separately for 4 age groups (12, 13, 14, and 15-17 years)., Results: 12% skipped breakfast, 8% skipped lunch and 11% used protein supplements several days per week. 16% slept less than 8 h/night, 8% had impaired sleep with daytime consequences, and 22% stated that they were tired in daily activities several days per week. 32% experienced stress some or most days/week and 24% were classified as having psychological distress. Medicine intake (23% vs. 34%), skipping breakfast or lunch several days per week (10% vs. 47% and 20 vs. 33%), tiredness (20% vs. 27%), stress (26% vs. 40%), and psychological distress (27% vs. 37%) increased significantly (P = 0.031 to < 0.001) at the 1-year follow-up., Conclusion: Many adolescent female football players skip breakfast and lunch, have insufficient sleep, experience stress and are classified as having psychological distress. These factors increased over 1 year., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The risk of injury in adolescent handball is high, and shoulder and knee injuries are among the most frequent and burdensome. The Swedish Knee Control programme reduced the risk of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in female youth football players and traumatic knee injuries in male and female youth floorball players. However, to date, Knee Control has not been evaluated in an elite youth sport setting. The literature on the prevention of shoulder injuries in sport is scarce, and there are to our knowledge no previous studies evaluating the preventative efficacy of injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) on shoulder injuries in adolescent handball players., Objectives: To study the preventive efficacy of IPEPs on shoulder and knee injuries in adolescent elite handball players., Methods: Eighteen Swedish handball-profiled secondary schools (clusters) with players aged 15-19 years, 54% males were randomised into either the Shoulder Group or Knee Group (interventions) or a Control Group. Players in the Shoulder Group were instructed to perform the Shoulder Control programme, and  players in the Knee Group to perform the Knee Control programme, three times per week during May 2018 to May 2019. Control Group players continued their usual training. Outcomes were shoulder and knee injuries defined by the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed using Cox regression models with hazard rate ratios (HRRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI)., Results: Six clusters (199 players) in the Shoulder Group, six clusters (216 players) in the Knee Group and six clusters (212 players) in the Control Group were included. There were 100 shoulder injuries and 156 knee injuries. The Shoulder Group had a 56% lower shoulder injury rate, HRR 0.44 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.68), and the Knee Group had a 31% lower knee injury rate, HRR 0.69 (95% CI 0.49 to 0.97) than the Control Group. The absolute risk reduction was 11% and 8%, and the number needed to treat was 9 and 13, respectively., Conclusions: Adolescent elite handball players who performed the Shoulder Control and the Knee Control programmes had a lower risk of shoulder and knee injuries, respectively, than players who continued their usual training. Further research on how these two programmes can be combined to reduce knee and shoulder injuries in a time effective way is warranted. Trial registration ISRCTN15946352. Key points The burden of knee and shoulder injuries in handball is high. The Shoulder Control programme reduces the risk and overall burden of shoulder injuries in adolescent elite handball players. The Knee Control programme reduces the risk and overall burden of knee injuries in adolescent elite handball players., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Our primary aim was to determine if athletic identity is prospectively associated with shoulder overuse injuries. Secondly, we aimed to determine if athletic identity is prospectively associated with playing through pain and to describe how athletic identity relates to sex, age, playing level, weekly training load, and match volume., Methods: A cohort of 269 adolescent tennis players were followed over a period of 52 weeks. Cox regression was used to estimate the hazard rate ratio (HRR) of first-time shoulder overuse injury associated with every 10-unit increase on the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS)., Results: The adjusted HRR of shoulder overuse injury was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.36-2.20) and the odds ratio of playing through pain was 2.41 (95% CI: 0.74-8.96) for every 10 unit increase on AIMS. The level of athletic identity was higher among players at the national level than among players at the regional level and was weakly correlated to weekly hours of tennis matches, tennis training, and fitness training., Conclusions: Our results indicate that higher levels of athletic identity may be associated with a lower incidence of shoulder overuse injuries, and potentially with playing through pain, although these results are inconclusive due to wide confidence intervals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Johansson, Tranaeus, Asker, Skillgate and Johansson.)

Background: Changes in Swedish university students' lifestyle behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. This study aimed to assess physical activity, sitting time, meal frequency and risk substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and illicit use of drugs) in Swedish university students before and during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, for all and stratified by age and sex., Methods: Data were obtained from the Sustainable University Life cohort study in which web-based surveys were sent to university students repeatedly for one year. Baseline assessment (before the pandemic) was between August 2019-March 2020, follow-up 1 (FU1) between March-June 2020, and follow-up 2 (FU2) between June-September 2020. Participants reported weekly minutes of physical activity, daily sitting hours, meal frequency by weekly intake of different meals, and motivation for eating irregularly, if so. Also, harmful use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs was assessed. Population means and differences with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) in lifestyle behaviors between time points were calculated with Generalized Estimating Equations., Results: 1877 students (73% women, mean age 26.5 years) answered the baseline survey. Weekly exercise decreased by -5.7 min (95% CI: -10.0, -1.5) and -7.7 min (95% CI: -12.6, -2.8) between baseline and FU1 and FU2, respectively. Weekly daily activities increased by 5.6 min (95% CI: 0.3, 11.7) and 14.2 min (95% CI: 7.9, 20.5) between baseline and FU1 and FU2. Daily sitting time decreased by -1.4 h (95% CI: -1.7, -1.2) between baseline and FU2. Breakfast intake increased by 0.2 days per week (95% CI: 0.1, 0.3) between baseline and FU2. Lunch intake decreased by -0.2 days per week (95% CI: -0.2, -0.1) between baseline and FU1 and by -0.2 days per week (95% CI: -0.3, -0.0) between baseline and FU2. Dinner intake decreased by -0.1 days per week (95% CI: -0.2, -0.0) between baseline and both FU1 and FU2. Only minor differences in risk substance use were observed. Similar changes were observed in analyses stratified by age and sex., Conclusions: Lifestyle behaviors in Swedish university students slightly improved during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04465435 . 10/07/2020., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Low back and neck pain are the most common musculoskeletal disorders worldwide, and imply suffering and substantial societal costs, hence effective interventions are crucial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of manual therapy compared with advice to stay active for working age persons with nonspecific back and/or neck pain., Methods: The two interventions were: a maximum of 6 manual therapy sessions within 6 weeks, including spinal manipulation/mobilization, massage and stretching, performed by a naprapath (index group), respectively information from a physician on the importance to stay active and on how to cope with pain, according to evidence-based advice, at 2 occasions within 3 weeks (control group). A cost-effectiveness analysis with a societal perspective was performed alongside a randomized controlled trial including 409 persons followed for one year, in 2005. The outcomes were health-related Quality of Life (QoL) encoded from the SF-36 and pain intensity. Direct and indirect costs were calculated based on intervention and medication costs and sickness absence data. An incremental cost per health related QoL was calculated, and sensitivity analyses were performed., Results: The difference in QoL gains was 0.007 (95% CI - 0.010 to 0.023) and the mean improvement in pain intensity was 0.6 (95% CI 0.068-1.065) in favor of manual therapy after one year. Concerning the QoL outcome, the differences in mean cost per person was estimated at - 437 EUR (95% CI - 1302 to 371) and for the pain outcome the difference was - 635 EUR (95% CI - 1587 to 246) in favor of manual therapy. The results indicate that manual therapy achieves better outcomes at lower costs compared with advice to stay active. The sensitivity analyses were consistent with the main results., Conclusions: Our results indicate that manual therapy for nonspecific back and/or neck pain is slightly less costly and more beneficial than advice to stay active for this sample of working age persons. Since manual therapy treatment is at least as cost-effective as evidence-based advice from a physician, it may be recommended for neck and low back pain. Further health economic studies that may confirm those findings are warranted. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN56954776. Retrospectively registered 12 September 2006, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN56954776 ., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To assess the relationship between social factors (socio-economic status, household load and job strain) and chronic pain occurrence, and the role of gender in this relationship., Methods: We used data corresponding to 8 years of follow-up of the Stockholm Public Health Cohort Study (2006-2014) to compute Adjusted Incidence Rate Ratios (IRRs) and additive interaction measures of chronic pain episodes, social factors, and sex in 16 687 subjects., Results: For men, increased rates of chronic pain occurrence were observed for skilled workers (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.61) and lower non-manual employees (IRR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.78), compared with unskilled workers; subjects with high household load (IRR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.88), compared with those with a null score; and subjects with active jobs (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.51), compared with those with low-strain jobs. For women, we observed decreased rates of chronic pain occurrence in lower (IRR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68, 0.99), intermediate (IRR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.88) and higher non-manual employees (IRR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.79), compared with unskilled workers. Compared with subjects with a null score, women with low household load showed a lower rate of chronic pain occurrence (IRR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.72, 1.00). Compared with subjects with low-strain jobs, those with passive jobs (IRR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.44) and high-strain jobs (IRR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.09) showed higher rates of chronic pain occurrence., Conclusion: In general, our analysis yielded different, if not opposite, results when data were stratified by sex. Sex may then represent an effect modifier of the relationship between social factors and chronic pain., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology.)

Objectives: Long-duration activity-limiting neck/back pain is common, but the knowledge of what work and lifestyle factors that influence the prognosis is sparse. The objective was therefore to evaluate if two factors, good self-perceived work ability and no daily smoking, are associated with a favourable prognosis of long-duration activity-limiting neck/back pain in a working population, and if these exposures have a synergistic prognostic effect., Design: A prospective cohort study based on three subsamples from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort., Settings: A working population in Stockholm County, Sweden., Participants: Individuals, 18-61 years old, reporting long-duration activity-limiting neck/back pain the previous 6 months at baseline in 2010 (n=5177)., Measures: The exposures were: self-perceived work ability (categorised into good, moderate and poor) and daily smoking (no/yes). The outcome in 2014 was 'absence of long-duration activity-limiting neck/back pain' the previous 6 months representing a favourable prognosis of reported problems at baseline in 2010. Risk ratios (RRs) and risk differences (RDs) with 95% CI was estimated by general linear regressions, and the synergistic effect was estimated by the synergy index (SI) with 95% CI., Results: Participants with moderate or good work ability, respectively, had an adjusted RR for a favourable prognosis of 1.37 (95% CI 1.11 to 1.69), and 1.80 (1.49 to 2.17) in comparison with participants with poor work ability. The corresponding adjusted RD were 0.07 (0.02 to 0.11) and 0.17 (0.12 to 0.22). Participants not smoking on daily basis had an adjusted RR of 1.21 (1.02 to 1.42), and an adjusted RD of 0.05 (0.01 to 0.10) for a favourable outcome compared with daily smokers. The adjusted SI was 0.92 (0.60 to 1.43)., Conclusion: For participants with long-duration activity-limiting neck/back pain, moderate or good self-perceived work ability and not being a daily smoker were associated with a favourable prognosis but having both exposures seemed to have no synergistic prognostic effect., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Mental health problems and musculoskeletal pain are common health problems among young adults including students. Little is known about the aetiology and prognosis of these problems in university students. We aim to determine the role of personal, sociodemographic, academic and environmental factors for risk and prognosis of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress as well as musculoskeletal pain in university students. The constructs that will be studied are based on the biopsychosocial model and psychopathology associated with disabling pain. This model acknowledges illness to consist of interrelated mechanisms categorised into biological, psychological, environmental and social cues., Methods and Analysis: This cohort study aims to recruit around 5000 Swedish full-time students. Data will be collected using five online surveys during one academic year. A subgroup (n=1851) of the cohort, recruited before the COVID-19 pandemic, receive weekly text messages with three short questions assessing mood, worry and pain, sent through the web-based platform SMS-track . Statistical analyses will include Kaplan-Meier estimates, Cox regression analyses, multinomial logistic regression analyses and generalised estimating equations. We will assess effect measure modification when relevant and conduct sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of lost to follow-up., Protocol Amendments: Due to opportunity and timing of the study, with relevance to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study further aims to address mental health problems, musculoskeletal pain and lifestyle in university students before and during the pandemic., Ethics and Dissemination: The Sustainable UNiversity Life study was approved by the Swedish ethics authority (2019-03276; 2020-01449). Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed research papers, reports, research conferences, student theses and stakeholder communications., Trial Registration Number: NCT04465435., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Football is a popular sport among young females worldwide, but studies concerning injuries in female players are scarce compared with male players. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors for injury in adolescent female football players., Methods and Analysis: The Karolinska football Injury Cohort (KIC) is an ongoing longitudinal study that will include approximately 400 female football academy players 12-19 years old in Sweden. A detailed questionnaire regarding demographics, health status, lifestyle, stress, socioeconomic factors, psychosocial factors and various football-related factors are completed at baseline and after 1 year. Clinical tests measuring strength, mobility, neuromuscular control of the lower extremity, trunk and neck are carried out at baseline. Players are followed prospectively with weekly emails regarding exposure to football and other physical activity, health issues (such as stress, recovery, etc), pain, performance and injuries via the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-O). Players who report a substantial injury in the OSTRC-O, that is, not being able to participate in football activities, or have reduced their training volume performance to a moderate or major degree, are contacted for full injury documentation. In addition to player data, academy coaches also complete a baseline questionnaire regarding coach experience and education., Ethics and Dissemination: The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Authority at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (2016/1251-31/4). All participating players and their legal guardians give their written informed consent. The study will be reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology. The results will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals and disseminated to the Swedish football movement through stakeholders and media., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Few studies have examined the association between the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) and complaints/injuries in young tennis players. Primary aims of this study were to investigate if accumulated external workload "spikes" in ACWR of tennis training, match play, and fitness training, and to see if high or low workload/age ratio were associated with the rate of shoulder complaints/injuries in competitive adolescent tennis players. Additional aims were to report the incidence of complaints/injuries stratified by sex and level of play and to describe shoulder injury characteristics., Hypothesis: Rapid increases in external workload are associated with the incidence of shoulder complaints and injuries., Study Design: A cohort study., Level of Evidence: Level 3., Methods: At baseline, 301 adolescent competitive tennis players, 13 to 19 years, were screened and followed weekly for 52 weeks with questionnaires, in the years 2018 to 2019. Information about time-varying accumulated external workload spikes (uncoupled ACWR >1.3), and workload/age ratio, in 252 uninjured players were used in Cox regression analyses with the outcomes shoulder complaints (≥20) and injuries (≥40) (Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire)., Results: For each additional workload spike in tennis training/match play, the hazard rate ratio (HRR) was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.13-1.40) for a shoulder complaint and 1.26 (95% CI, 1.15-1.39) for a shoulder injury. The HRR for fitness training was 1.11 (95% CI, 1.02-1.20) for a shoulder complaint and 1.18 (95% CI, 1.09-1.27) for a shoulder injury. Workload/age ratio was not associated with the rate of shoulder complaints or injuries., Conclusion: Accumulated external workload spikes of tennis training, match play, and/or fitness training are associated with a higher rate of shoulder complaints and shoulder injuries in competitive adolescent tennis players., Clinical Relevance: Consistency in training load on a weekly basis is most likely more beneficial for adolescent tennis players regarding shoulder complaints/injuries than a training schedule comprising rapid increases (ie, spikes) in workload.

Background: In young tennis players, high loads on the spine and high training volumes in relation to age are associated with a high lifetime prevalence of back pain. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if accumulated external workload "spikes" in the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) of tennis training, match play, and fitness training, and if high or low workload/age ratio were associated with back pain events in competitive adolescent tennis players. Additional aims were to report the incidence of back pain stratified by sex and level of play and to describe the characteristics of players with back pain., Hypothesis: Rapid increases in external workload are associated with the incidence of back pain., Study Design: Cohort study of 198 competitive tennis players, 13 to 19 years, with a weekly follow-up for 52 consecutive weeks., Level of Evidence: Level 3., Methods: Accumulated external workload spikes (uncoupled ACWR >1.3), and the workload/age ratio, were time-varying exposures in Cox regression analyses with the outcome back pain (pain intensity ≥2/10 in the lower back and/or in the upper back/neck with a pain-related disability)., Results: For each additional workload spike in tennis training/match play, the hazard rate ratio (HRR) was 1.17 (95% CI, 1.06-1.28) for back pain. The corresponding HRR for fitness training was 1.13 (95% CI, 1.05-1.22). Training workload/age ratio was not related to back pain., Conclusion: Accumulated external workload spikes of tennis training, match play, and/or fitness training are associated with a higher rate of back pain events in competitive adolescent tennis players., Clinical Relevance: Back pain is a troublesome clinical problem that may affect the performance of talented young tennis players. Structuring the training schedule to minimize rapid increases (ie, spikes) of training load on a weekly basis may enhance performance and reduce back pain in adolescent tennis players.

Football is a popular sport among adolescent females. Given the rate of injuries in female footballers, identifying factors that can predict injuries are important. These injuries are often caused by complex reasons. The aim of this study was to investigate if the combination of demographic (age, number of training and match play hours/week), psychosocial (perceived stress, adaptive coping strategies) and physiological factors (functional performance) can predict a traumatic injury in adolescent female footballers. A cohort consisting of 419 female football players aged 13-16 years was established. Baseline questionnaires covered potential risk factors for sport injuries, and measurements included football-related functional performance tests. Data were collected prospectively with a weekly online questionnaire for 52 weeks covering, e.g., injuries, training, and match play hours/week. A total of 62% of the players reported at least one traumatic injury during the 52 weeks. The coping strategy "positive reframing" had the strongest association with the risk of traumatic injuries. The combination of more frequent use of the coping strategy, positive reframing, and high levels of physical performance capacity may prevent a traumatic injury in adolescent female footballers. Coaches are encouraged to adopt both physiological and psychological factors when preventing injuries in young female footballers.

Background: Musculoskeletal pain is among the most common reasons for seeking care, specialist competence for its treatment in primary care limited and waiting lists for orthopaedics often amongst the longest. Many referrals to orthopaedics do not concern disorders that benefit from surgery. Manual therapy is effective, yet not integrated in national health care systems, and there is a lack of research on other than neck and low back pain, and a lack of long-term follow-ups. The present study evaluates the long-term effects of a manual therapy (naprapathy) for common orthopaedic disorders., Methods: An 8-year follow-up (96 months) of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of naprapathy (experimental group) versus standard orthopaedic care (control group) for non-surgical patients of working age with the most common musculoskeletal disorders on the waiting lists (n = 78). Bodily pain, physical function (SF36), Quality of life (QoL; SF6D), and data on health care utilization were collected. The treatments lasted from January 2007 to November 2007., Results: N = 75 participants in the original study sample completed the 8-year follow-up. The differences in bodily pain (21.7 (95% CI: 9.1-34.3)), physical function (17.6 (6.7-28.4)), and QoLs (0.823 (95% CI: 0.785-0.862) compared with 0.713 (95% CI: 0.668-0.758)) were statistically significantly in favor of the experimental group (p-values < 0.01). After sensitivity analysis the experimental group had altogether 260 health care visits compared with 1161 in the control group., Conclusions: Naprapathy is a continuously effective treatment. Together with earlier research our study suggests that specialized manual therapy should be considered when triaging patients with common non-surgical musculoskeletal disorders in national health care systems., Trial Registration: Not applicable, as per information given by ClinicalTrials.gov., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Neck and back pain are musculoskeletal conditions with serious individual and societal consequences. Current evidence about the prognostic value for neck and back pain is limited and conflicting. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess the association between leisure-time physical activity (LPA) and improvement of neck and/or back pain in a working population receiving manual therapy or general care in one of two randomized controlled trials (RCTs)., Methods: Analyses of data from two RCTs evaluating the effect of manual therapies for neck and/or back pain was conducted. Participants (n = 1 464) answered questionnaires about frequency and effort level of LPA at baseline. LPA on moderate or vigorous levels was compared to no or low/irregular moderate and vigorous levels. Pain intensity was assessed with numerical scales at baseline and 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. The outcome was minimal clinically important improvement in pain intensity, defined as ≥2 points improvement in mean pain intensity at follow-up. Crude- and adjusted risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with Poisson regression analysis and stratified by pain location., Results: Participants with neck and/or back pain performing vigorous LPA showed a minimal clinically important improvement after 12 months compared to the control group; RR 1.35 (95% CI; 1.06-1.73). No effect was observed at 3 or 6 months. Moderate LPA did not improve pain intensity in any follow-up. Stratified analyses revealed that the effect of vigorous LPA at 12 months in back pain was RR 1.83 (95% CI; 1.26-2.66) and neck pain RR 1.06 (95% CI; 0.75-1.49)., Conclusions: Persons with neck and/or back pain receiving manual therapy or general evidence-based care have greater chance of improvement after 12 months if they prior to treatment frequently practice vigorous LPA. When analyzed separately, the effect was only present for back pain., Trial Registration: Registration in Current Controlled Trials (ISRCTN), Stockholm Manual Intervention Trial (MINT), ISRCTN92249294 BJORN-trial, ISRCTN56954776., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Mental illness and psychological distress are global concerns. This study aimed to investigate the association between having non-preferred work and the incidence of spinal pain, psychological distress, and spinal pain with concurrent psychological distress, and if associations are modified by sleep disturbance. A prospective study of 4285 participants 23-62 years old was conducted, from years 2007 to 2010. Participants reported their work situation as preferred/non-preferred regarding profession/workplace with a high/low possibility to change. Psychological distress was measured with the General Health Questionnaire 12 and spinal pain with questions about neck/back pain. Binominal regression analyses calculated relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Non-preferred work with a low possibility to change was associated with a higher incidence of spinal pain (RR 1.8; 95% CI 1.2-2.6) and psychological distress (RR 1.8; 95% CI 1.4-2.4) compared to preferred work. The RR was 1.4 (95% CI 0.9-2.1) for spinal pain and 1.3 (95% CI 1.0-1.7) for psychological distress among those with a high possibility to change. Non-preferred work yielded a higher incidence of spinal pain with concurrent psychological distress (RR 1.9; 95% CI 1.0-3.7). Sleep disturbance did not modify associations. A replication based on newer data is needed to confirm the results. In conclusion, non-preferred work is associated with a higher incidence of spinal pain and psychological distress, especially if the possibility to change job is low.

Background: Pain, specifically chronic pain, is a major public health issue worldwide with considerable health-related consequences and large economic impact. The relation between socioeconomic status and pain occurrence is well established. However, little is known on the relation between socioeconomic factors and worsening of pain, including progression from non-chronic pain to chronic pain., Methods: To assess the relation between socioeconomic status and pain worsening, we used the Stockholm Public Health Cohort Study from 2006 to 2014 and analysed data of 9721 participants who completed follow-up. The adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of moderate and severe pain worsening episodes were computed, using a pain amplification model, which encompasses spreading, somatisation, and psychological distress components. Multiple imputation analysis was performed subsequently to adjust for cohort attrition., Results: Compared with non-skilled workers, self-employed subjects (IRR=1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.39) and non-manual employees were at higher risk of moderate worsening (lower non-manual employees: IRR=1.21; 95% CI, 1.03-1.41; intermediate non-manual employees: IRR=1.26; 95% CI, 1.10-1.44; higher non-manual employees: IRR=1.25; 95% CI, 1.08-1.45). This risk increase was limited to worsening starting at stage 0 (non-chronic pain). No association was found between socioeconomic status and severe pain worsening., Conclusion: Our results support a moderate association between intermediate and high socioeconomic status, and moderate pain worsening. This association could be explained by the heterogeneous composition of the socioeconomic variable used in this cohort, and by changes in exposure and other time-varying covariables' status during follow-up., (Copyright © 2021 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is integral to the delivery of high-quality health care. Chiropractic has been a licensed health profession in Sweden since 1989, but little is known of the uptake of EBP in this professional group. This study explored the self-reported skills, attitudes and uptake of EBP, and the enablers and barriers of EBP uptake, among licensed chiropractors in Sweden., Methods: Licensed chiropractors (n = 172) of the Swedish Chiropractic Association (Legitimerade Kiropraktorers Riksorganisation) were invited to participate in an anonymous online questionnaire, using the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude and Utilisation Survey (EBASE) in February 2019., Results: Fifty-six (33%) chiropractors completed the survey. Participants were predominantly male, aged 30-49 years, held a Master's degree, and had received their highest qualification and practiced chiropractic for over a decade. Chiropractors rated their EBP skill-level mostly in the moderate to moderate-high range. The majority of chiropractors reported positive attitudes towards EBP, with most agreeing or strongly agreeing that EBP is necessary in the practice of chiropractic, and that EBP assists in making decisions about patient care. Chiropractors reported an average level of engagement in EBP activities. All participants indicated professional literature and research findings were useful in their day-to-day chiropractic practice. The main perceived enabler of EBP uptake was internet access in the workplace, whereas the main barrier to EBP uptake was lack of clinical evidence in chiropractic., Conclusions: Participating chiropractors of the Swedish Chiropractic Association were generally favourable of EBP, though only reported modest levels of EBP-related skills and engagement in EBP activities. Our findings suggest future studies investigating interventions focussed on improving chiropractors' skills and uptake of EBP are warranted.

Objectives: The prevalence of neck/back pain (NBP) is high worldwide. Limited number of studies have investigated workers with occasional NBP regarding the risk of developing long-duration activity limiting NBP (LNBP). The objectives were to assess (1) the effect of poor work ability and sleep disturbances in persons with occasional NBP on the risk of LNBP, and (2) the interaction effect of these exposures., Design: Cohort study based on three subsamples from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort., Settings: The working population in Stockholm County., Participants: Persons aged 18-60 years, reporting occasional NBP the past 6 months at baseline year 2010 (n=16 460)., Measures: Work ability was assessed with items from the Work Ability Index, perceived mental and/or physical work ability. Sleep disturbances were self-reported current mild/severe disturbances. The outcome in year 2014 was reporting NBP the previous 6 months, occurring ≥couple of days per week and resulting in decreased work ability/restricted other daily activities. The additive effect of having both poor work ability and sleep disturbances was modelled with a dummy variable, including both exposures. Poisson log-linear regression was used to calculate risk ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs., Results: At follow-up, 9% had developed LNBP. Poor work ability and sleep disturbances were independent risk factors for LNBP; adjusted RR 1.7 (95% CI: 1.4 to 2.0) and 1.4 (95% CI: 1.2 to 1.5), respectively. No additive interaction was observed., Conclusion: Workers with occasional NBP who have poor work ability and/or sleep disturbances are at risk of developing LNBP. Having both conditions does not exceed additive risk., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Drs ES and LWH are scientific consultants at the Scandinavian College of Naprapathic Manual Medicine and members of their Scientific Board., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: The effect of a healthy lifestyle on the prognosis of neck pain is unknown. This study aimed to investigate if a healthy lifestyle behaviour influences the risk of long-duration troublesome neck pain among men and women with occasional neck pain., Design: Longitudinal cohort study., Settings: General population, and a subsample of the working population, in Stockholm County, Sweden., Participants: This study involved 5342 men and 7298 women, age 18 to 84, from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort, reporting occasional neck pain at baseline in 2006., Measures: Baseline information about leisure physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and consumption of fruits and vegetables were dichotomised into recommendations for healthy/not healthy behaviour. The exposure, a healthy lifestyle behaviour, was categorised into four levels according to the number of healthy behaviours (HB) met. Generalised linear models were applied to assess the exposure on the outcome long-duration troublesome neck pain (activity-limiting neck pain ≥2 days/week during the past 6 months), at follow-up in 2010., Results: The adjusted risk of long-duration troublesome neck pain decreased with increasing adherence to a healthy lifestyle behaviour among both men and women (trend test: p<0.05). Compared with the reference category, none or one HB, the risk decreased by 24% (risk ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.98) among men and by 34% (0.66, 0.54 to 0.81) among women, with three or four HBs. The same comparison showed an absolute reduction of the outcome by 3% in men (risk difference -0.03, 95% CI -0.05 to -0.01) and 5% in women (-0.05,-0.08 to -0.03). Similar results were found in the working population subsample., Conclusion: Adhering to a healthy lifestyle behaviour decreased the risk of long-duration troublesome neck pain among men and women with occasional neck pain. The results add to previous research and supports the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle behaviour., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Manual therapy is a commonly used treatment for patients with back and neck pain. Studies have shown that manual therapy-related adverse events are mainly short in duration and mild or moderate by their intensity, affecting up to 50% of the patients. If the presence of adverse events has an impact on the chance to recover from back/neck pain is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate if mild or moderate adverse events after manual therapy has an impact on the chance to recover from back/neck pain in men and women., Methods: A prospective cohort study of 771 patients with at least three treatment sessions in a randomized controlled trial performed in January 2010 - December 2013. Adverse events within 24 h after each treatment were measured with questionnaires and categorized as: no, mild or moderate, based on bothersomeness. Outcome measure was the perceived recovery at seven weeks and at three months follow-up. Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by Logistic regression to investigate the associations between the exposure and outcome, and to test and adjust for potential confounding., Results: There were no statistically significant associations observed between the experience of mild or moderate adverse events and being recovered at the seven weeks follow-up. The only statistically significant association observed at the three months follow-up was for mild adverse events in men with an OR of 2.44, 95% CI: 1.24-4.80 in comparison to men with no adverse events., Conclusion: This study indicates that mild adverse events after manual therapy may be related to a better chance to recover in men., Trial Registration: The study is based on data from a trial registered in Current Controlled Trials (ISRCTN92249294)., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest with any financial organization regarding the material discussed in this manuscript. The financial support for the submitted work was obtained from the Swedish Naprapathic Association (SNA). The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, collection, analysis, or interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript. ES has a part time position at Karolinska Institutet partly financed by grants from the SNA. None of the authors have any competing interests.

Background: Exercise is effective in improving non-specific low back pain (LBP). Certain components of physical exercise, such as the type, intensity and frequency of exercise, are likely to influence participation among working adults with non-specific LBP, but the value and relative importance of these components remain unknown. The study's aim was to examine such specific components and their influence on individual preferences for exercise for secondary prevention of non-specific LBP among working adults., Methods: In a discrete choice experiment, working individuals with non-specific LBP answered a web-based questionnaire. Each respondent was given ten pairs of hypothetical exercise programs and asked to choose one option from each pair. The choices comprised six attributes of exercise (i.e., type of training, design, intensity, frequency, proximity and incentives), each with either three or four levels. A conditional logit regression that reflected the random utility model was used to analyze the responses., Results: The final study population consisted of 112 participants. The participants' preferred exercise option was aerobic (i.e., cardiovascular) rather than strength training, group exercise with trainer supervision, rather than individual or unsupervised exercise. They also preferred high intensity exercise performed at least once or twice per week. The most popular types of incentive were exercise during working hours and a wellness allowance rather than coupons for sports goods. The results show that the relative value of some attribute levels differed between young adults (age ≤ 44 years) and older adults (age ≥ 45 years) in terms of the level of trainer supervision required, exercise intensity, travel time to exercise location and financial incentives. For active study participants, exercise frequency (i.e., twice per week, 1.15; CI: 0.25; 2.06) influenced choice of exercise. For individuals with more than one child, travel time (i.e., 20 minutes, -0.55; CI: 0.65; 3.26) was also an influential attribute for choice of exercise, showing that people with children at home preferred to exercise close to home., Conclusions: This study adds to our knowledge about what types of exercise working adults with back pain are most likely to participate in. The exercise should be a cardiovascular type of training carried out in a group with trainer supervision. It should also be of high intensity and preferably performed twice per week during working hours. Coupons for sports goods do not appear to motivate physical activity among workers with LBP. The findings of the study could have a substantial impact on the planning and development of exercise provision and promotion strategies to improve non-specific LBP. Providers and employers may be able to improve participation in exercise programs for adults with non-specific LBP by focusing on the exercise components which are the most attractive. This in turn would improve satisfaction and adherence to exercise interventions aimed at preventing recurrent non-specific LBP.

Background: Handball is a physical contact sport that includes frequent overhead throwing, and this combination leads to a high rate of shoulder injuries. Several factors have been associated with shoulder injuries in overhead athletes, but strong scientific evidence is lacking for most suggested risk factors. We therefore designed the Karolinska Handball Study (KHAST) with the aim to identify risk factors for shoulder injuries in adolescent male and female elite handball players studying at handball-profiled secondary schools in Sweden. Secondary objectives are to investigate whether shoulder function changes during the competition season and whether the physical profile of the players changes during their time in secondary school., Methods: Players aged 15 to 19 years were included during the pre-season period of the 2014-2015 and the 2015-2016 seasons. At inclusion, players signed informed consent and filled in a questionnaire regarding playing position, playing level, previous handball experience, history of shoulder problems and athletic identity. Players also completed a detailed test battery at baseline evaluating the shoulder, neck and trunk. Players were then prospectively monitored weekly during the 2014-2015 and/or 2015-2016 competitive seasons regarding injuries and training/match workload. Results from the annual routine physical tests in the secondary school curriculum including bench press, deep squat, hand grip strength, clean lifts, squat jumps, counter movement jumps, <30 m sprints, chins, dips and Cooper's test will be collected until the end of the competitive season 2017-2018. The primary outcome is the incidence of shoulder injuries and shoulder problems. The secondary outcome is the prevalence of shoulder injuries and shoulder problems., Discussion: Shoulder problems are frequent among handball players and a reduction of these injuries is therefore warranted. However, in order to introduce appropriate preventive measures, a detailed understanding of the underlying risk factors is needed. Our study has a high potential to identify important risk factors for shoulder injuries in adolescent elite handball players owing to a large study sample, a high response rate, data collection during consecutive seasons, and recording of potential confounding factors.

The aim of this study was to determine whether job strain, i.e. a combination of job demands and decision latitude (job control), and sleep disturbances among persons with occasional low-back pain are prognostic factors for developing troublesome low-back pain; and to determine whether sleep disturbances modify the potential association between job strain and troublesome low-back pain. A population-based cohort from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort surveys in 2006 and 2010 (= 25,167) included individuals with occasional low-back pain at baseline 2006 (= 6,413). Through logistic regression analyses, potential prognostic effects of job strain and sleep disturbances were studied. Stratified analyses were performed to assess modification of sleep disturbances on the potential association between job strain and troublesome low-back pain. Those exposed to job strain; active job (odds ratio (OR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1-1.6), or high strain (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.9-2.4) and those exposed to severe sleep disturbances (OR 3.0, 95% CI 2.3-4.0), but not those exposed to passive jobs (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.9-1.4) had higher odds of developing troublesome low-back pain. Sleep disturbances did not modify the association between job strain and troublesome low-back pain. These findings indicate that active job, high job strain and sleep disturbances are prognostic factors for troublesome low-back pain. The odds of developing troublesome low-back pain due to job strain were not modified by sleep disturbance.

Background: The effect of physical activity on risk and prognosis for neck pain has been studied earlier with inconclusive results. There is a need for large prospective studies on the subject. The aim of this study was to investigate if work related physical activity and physical activity during leisure time are of importance for the risk and prognosis of neck pain in men and women., Methods: We used the Stockholm Public Health Cohort and formed two sub-cohorts of the working population based on data from 2002. Cohort I (risk cohort) included persons without neck pain (n = 4681), and cohort II (prognostic cohort) included persons with occasional neck pain (n = 6820) during the previous six months. Both cohorts were assessed for the outcome long duration troublesome neck pain (LDNP) in 2007. The exposures and potential confounders were assessed through a questionnaire in 2002. The question regarding work related physical activity over the past 12 months had five answering categories ranging from "sedentary" to"heavy". The question regarding leisure physical activity for the past 12 months had five answering categories ranging from "sedentary" to "regular physical activity". LDNP in 2007 was defined as having had troublesome neck pain lasting ≥ 3 consecutive months during the previous five years. Associations between work related physical activity and LDNP, as well as leisure physical activity and LDNP, were investigated by multivariable logistic regression, considering potential confounding factors., Results: In cohort I (risk cohort) we found an association between leisure physical activity and LDNP. In cohort II (prognostic cohort) we found no association between the exposures and the outcome., Conclusion: The results suggest that leisure physical activity has a protective effect on the risk of developing LDNP in a population free from neck pain. It did not, however, affect the prognosis of occasional neck pain. Neither the risk nor the prognosis of neck pain was affected by work related physical activity in this study.

Background: Manual therapy as spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization, stretching and massage are common treatment methods for neck and back pain. The objective was to compare the treatment effect on pain intensity, pain related disability and perceived recovery from a) naprapathic manual therapy (spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization, stretching and massage) to b) naprapathic manual therapy without spinal manipulation and to c) naprapathic manual therapy without stretching for male and female patients seeking care for back and/or neck pain., Method: Participants were recruited among patients, ages 18-65, seeking care at the educational clinic of Naprapathögskolan - the Scandinavian College of Naprapathic Manual Medicine in Stockholm. The patients (n = 1057) were randomized to one of three treatment arms a) manual therapy (i.e. spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization, stretching and massage), b) manual therapy excluding spinal manipulation and c) manual therapy excluding stretching. The primary outcomes were minimal clinically important improvement in pain intensity and pain related disability. Treatments were provided by naprapath students in the seventh semester of eight total semesters. Generalized estimating equations and logistic regression were used to examine the association between the treatments and the outcomes., Results: At 12 weeks follow-up, 64% had a minimal clinically important improvement in pain intensity and 42% in pain related disability. The corresponding chances to be improved at the 52 weeks follow-up were 58% and 40% respectively. No systematic differences in effect when excluding spinal manipulation and stretching respectively from the treatment were found over 1 year follow-up, concerning minimal clinically important improvement in pain intensity (p = 0.41) and pain related disability (p = 0.85) and perceived recovery (p = 0.98). Neither were there disparities in effect when male and female patients were analyzed separately., Conclusion: The effect of manual therapy for male and female patients seeking care for neck and/or back pain at an educational clinic is similar regardless if spinal manipulation or if stretching is excluded from the treatment option., Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN92249294.

Context: Tennis is an asymmetric overhead sport with specific muscle-activation patterns, especially eccentrically in the rotator cuff. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in asymptomatic adolescent elite tennis players have not previously been reported., Objective: The first aim of the study was to describe MRI findings regarding adaptations or abnormalities, as well as muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), of the rotator cuff. The second aim of the study was to investigate the rotator cuff based on the interpretation of the MRI scans as normal versus abnormal, with the subdivision based on the grade of tendinosis, and its association with eccentric rotator cuff strength in the dominant arm (DA) of the asymptomatic elite adolescent tennis player., Setting: Testing environment at the radiology department of Medicinsk Röntgen AB., Patients or Other Participants: Thirty-five asymptomatic elite tennis players (age = 17.4 ± 2.7 years) were selected based on ranking and exposure time., Intervention(s): We assessed MRI scans and measured the CSA of the rotator cuff muscle. The non-DA (NDA) was used as a control. In addition, eccentric testing of the external rotators of the DA was performed with a handheld dynamometer., Results: The DA and NDA displayed different frequencies of infraspinatus tendinosis (grade 1 changes) (P < .05). Rotator cuff measurements revealed larger infraspinatus and teres minor CSA (P < .05) in the DA than in the NDA. Mean eccentric external-rotation strength in the DA stratified by normal tendon and tendinosis was not different between groups (P = .723)., Conclusions: Asymptomatic adolescent elite tennis players demonstrated infraspinatus tendinosis more frequently in the DA than in the NDA. Clinicians must recognize these tendon changes in order to modify conditioning and performance programs appropriately.

Background: Neck pain is a major health problem in populations worldwide and an economic burden in modern societies due to its high prevalence and costs in terms of health care expenditures and lost productivity. Massage and exercise therapy are widely used management options for neck pain. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence regarding their effectiveness for subacute and long-lasting neck pain. This study protocol describes a randomized controlled trial aiming to determine the effect of massage and/or exercise therapy on subacute and long-lasting neck pain over the course of 1 year., Methods/design: A randomized controlled trial in which at least 600 study participants with subacute or long-lasting nonspecific neck pain will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of four treatment arms: massage therapy (A), exercise therapy (B), exercise therapy plus massage therapy (C) and advice to stay active (D). The study has an E-health approach, and study participants are being recruited through advertising with a mix of traditional and online marketing channels. Web-based self-report questionnaires measure the main outcomes at 7, 12, 26 and 52 weeks after inclusion. The primary outcomes are a clinically important improvement in pain intensity and pain-related disability at follow-up, measured with a modified version of the Chronic Pain Questionnaire (CPQ). The secondary outcomes are global improvement, health-related quality of life (EQ-5D), sick leave, drug consumption and healthcare utilization. Adverse events are measured by questionnaires at return visits to the clinic, and automated text messages (SMSes) survey neck pain intensity and pain-related disability every week over one year., Discussion: The results of this study will provide clinicians and stakeholders much needed knowledge to plan medical care for subacute and long-lasting neck pain disorders., Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN01453590. Date of registration: 3 July 2014.

Context: Shoulder strength assessment plays an important role in the clinical examination of the shoulder region. Eccentric strength measurements are of special importance in guiding the clinician in injury prevention or return-to-play decisions after injury., Objective: To examine the absolute and relative reliability and validity of a standardized eccentric strength-measurement protocol for the glenohumeral external rotators., Design: Descriptive laboratory study., Setting: Testing environment at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy of Ghent University, Belgium., Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-five healthy participants (9 men and 16 women) without any history of shoulder pain were tested by 2 independent assessors using a handheld dynamometer (HHD) and underwent an isokinetic testing procedure., Intervention(s): The clinical protocol used an HHD, a DynaPort accelerometer to measure acceleration and angular velocity of testing 30°/s over 90° of range of motion, and a Biodex dynamometer to measure isokinetic activity., Main Outcome Measure(s): Three eccentric strength measurements: (1) tester 1 with the HHD, (2) tester 2 with the HHD, and (3) Biodex isokinetic strength measurement., Results: The intratester reliability was excellent (0.879 and 0.858), whereas the intertester reliability was good, with an intraclass correlation coefficient between testers of 0.714. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients of 0.78 and 0.70 were noted between the HHD and the isokinetic data, showing good validity of this new procedure., Conclusions: Standardized eccentric rotator cuff strength can be tested and measured in the clinical setting with good-to-excellent reliability and validity using an HHD.

Objectives: To study the influence of healthy lifestyle behaviour on the prognosis of occasional low back pain among men and women in a general population., Design: Cohort study with a 4-year follow-up., Settings: General population in Stockholm County, Sweden., Participants: The study sample comprised 3938 men and 5056 women aged 18-84 from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort reporting occasional low back pain in the baseline questionnaire 2006., Measures: Lifestyle factors and potential confounders were assessed at baseline. The lifestyle factors smoking habits, alcohol consumption, leisure physical activity and consumption of fruit and vegetables were dichotomised using recommendations for a health-enhancing lifestyle and combined to form the exposure variable 'healthy lifestyle behaviour'. The exposure was categorised into five levels according to the number of healthy lifestyle factors met. The follow-up questionnaire in 2010 gave information about the outcome, long duration troublesome low back pain. Crude and adjusted binomial regression models were applied to estimate the association between the exposure and the outcome analysing men and women separately., Results: The risk of developing long duration troublesome low back pain among women with occasional low back pain decreased with increasing healthy lifestyle behaviour (trend test: p=0.006). 21% (28/131) among women with no healthy lifestyle factor (reference) experienced the outcome compared to 9% (36/420) among women with all four factors. Compared to the reference group, the risk was reduced by 35% (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.96) for women with one healthy lifestyle factor and 52% (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.77) for women with all four healthy lifestyle factors. There were no clear associations found among men., Conclusions: Healthy lifestyle behaviour seems to decrease the risk of developing long duration troublesome low back pain among women with occasional low back pain and may be recommended to improve the prognosis., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)

Adhesive capsulitis is a painful condition with a prevalence of 2-5%. There is a lack of evidence for its aetiology and for conventional treatment and cost effects. This study describes the treatment effects of manual manipulation of the acromioclavicular joint for adhesive capsulitis in a young woman for persisting pain after mobilisation of the glenohumeral joint under anaesthesia. Primary outcomes were pain and physical function, measured by a visual analogue scale and the SF36 health survey. Secondary outcomes were sleep pattern, medication and perceived recovery. The mobility after manipulation under anaesthesia: elevation 55° and no improvement in pain. After manual manipulation: unrestricted elevation and significant pain relief. The patient no longer suffered from sleeping disorders and ceased all medication. Considering the lack of knowledge in aetiology and treatment, specialised manual examination of the acromioclavicular joint should be considered early in patients diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis., (2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Background: The safety of the manual treatment techniques such as spinal manipulation has been discussed and there is a need for more information about potential adverse events after manual therapy. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate differences in occurrence of adverse events between three different combinations of manual treatment techniques used by manual therapists (i.e. chiropractors, naprapaths, osteopaths, physicians and physiotherapists) for patients seeking care for back and/or neck pain. In addition women and men were compared regarding the occurrence of adverse events., Methods: Participants were recruited among patients, ages 18-65, seeking care at the educational clinic of the Scandinavian College of Naprapathic Manual Medicine in Stockholm. The patients (n = 767) were randomized to one of three treatment arms 1) manual therapy (i.e. spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization, stretching and massage) (n = 249), 2) manual therapy excluding spinal manipulation (n = 258) and 3) manual therapy excluding stretching (n = 260). Treatments were provided by students in the seventh semester of total eight. Adverse events were measured with a questionnaire after each return visit and categorized in to five levels; 1) short minor, 2) long minor, 3) short moderate, 4) long moderate and 5) serious adverse events, based on the duration and/or severity of the event. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the association between adverse event and treatments arms., Results: The most common adverse events were soreness in muscles, increased pain and stiffness. No differences were found between the treatment arms concerning the occurrence of adverse event. Fifty-one percent of patients, who received at least three treatments, experienced at least one adverse event after one or more visits. Women more often had short moderate adverse events (OR = 2.19 (95% CI: 1.52-3.15)), and long moderate adverse events (OR = 2.49 (95% CI: 1.77-3.52)) compared to men., Conclusion: Adverse events after manual therapy are common and transient. Excluding spinal manipulation or stretching do not affect the occurrence of adverse events. The most common adverse event is soreness in the muscles. Women reports more adverse events than men., Trial Registration: This trial was registered in a public registry (Current Controlled Trials) (ISRCTN92249294).

Background: There is limited knowledge about leisure time physical activity and the body mass index (BMI) as prognostic factors for recovery from persistent back pain. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of leisure time physical activity and BMI on recovery from persistent back pain among men and women in a general population., Methods: The study population (n=1836) in this longitudinal cohort study consisted of participants reporting persistent back pain in the baseline questionnaire in 2002-2003. Data on leisure time physical activity, BMI and potential confounders were also collected at baseline. Information on recovery from persistent back pain (no back pain periods ≥ 7 days during the last 5 years) was obtained from the follow-up questionnaire in 2007. Log-binomial models were applied to calculate Risk Ratios with 95 percent Confidence Intervals (CI) comparing physically active and normal weight groups versus sedentary and overweight groups., Results: Compared to a sedentary leisure time, all measured levels of leisure time physical activity were associated with a greater chance of recovery from persistent back pain among women. The adjusted Risk Ratios was 1.46 (95% CI: 1.06, 2.01) for low leisure time physical activity, 1.51 (95% CI: 1.02, 2.23) for moderate leisure time physical activity, and 1.67 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.58) for high leisure time physical activity. There were no indications that leisure time physical activity influenced recovery among men, or that BMI was associated with recovery from persistent back pain either among men or among women., Conclusions: Regular leisure time physical activity seems to improve recovery from persistent back pain among women.

Background: Patients with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) have a generally favourable prognosis, yet some develop longstanding pain and disability. Predicting who will recover from WAD shortly after a traffic collision is very challenging for health care providers such as physical therapists. Therefore, we aimed to develop a prediction model for the recovery of WAD in a cohort of patients who consulted physical therapists within six weeks after the injury., Methods: Our cohort included 680 adult patients with WAD who were injured in Saskatchewan, Canada, between 1997 and 1999. All patients had consulted a physical therapist as a result of the injury. Baseline prognostic factors were collected from an injury questionnaire administered by Saskatchewan Government Insurance. The outcome, global self-perceived recovery, was assessed by telephone interviews six weeks, three and six months later. Twenty-five possible baseline prognostic factors were considered in the analyses. A prediction model was built using Cox regression. The predictive ability of the model was estimated with concordance statistics (c-index). Internal validity was checked using bootstrapping., Results: Our final prediction model included: age, number of days to reporting the collision, neck pain intensity, low back pain intensity, pain other than neck and back pain, headache before collision and recovery expectations. The model had an acceptable level of predictive ability with a c-index of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.65, 0.71). Internal validation showed that our model was robust and had a good fit., Conclusions: We developed a model predicting recovery from WAD, in a cohort of patients who consulted physical therapists. Our model has adequate predictive ability. However, to be fully incorporated in clinical practice the model needs to be validated in other populations and tested in clinical settings.