ABSTRACT
Background: Back Schools are health education and behaviour modifying programmes for care of the back and prevention of back documentary. They are often developed with consideration for the environment and the practices of the people they serve. Although back schools are available in many parts of the world; none has been developed for the Nigerian environment. Objective: To develop a back school model for the Nigerian urban setting. Methods: The Nigerian Back School (NBS) was developed from two existing video documentaries and series of focus group discussions. The focus group discussions suggested how to adapt these documentaries to the Nigerian environment and cultural practices. A hand book containing illustrations on wrong and correct postures was also developed. Results: The NBS comprises 30-minute video documentary and a 24-page handbook. The first part of the video documentary provides information on the epidemiology and causes of back pain; structures and functions of the back while the second and third parts consist of demonstrations of wrong and correct resting and working postures assumed during everyday life activities and simple exercises for the prevention or alleviation of back pain or its recurrence respectively. The NBS handbook consists of illustrations on wrong and correct postures assumed at rest and during activity of daily living Conclusion: A back school (video documentary and handbook) with considerations for the Nigerian urban environment and the peoples' practices was made available
Subject(s)
Health Education , Low Back Pain , NursingABSTRACT
Background: Physiotherapists are important members of the sports medicine team and are involved in the prevention and management of injured athletes right from the acute stage of injury to the stage of rehabilitation. However; the type of treatments rendered to injured athletes and level of physiotherapy utilisation in terms of injury referrals for physiotherapy in sports medicine in Nigeria is not fully known. Objective: To find out the extent of referral of sports injuries for physiotherapy and types of treatments rendered to injured athletes referred for physiotherapy at the National Sports Medicine Centre (NSMC); Lagos; South-West; Nigeria. Methods: All case files at the general records unit from January 1995 to December 2002 were investigated. Information on athlete's sport; body part treated and physiotherapy modalities used between January 1997 and December 2002 were also extracted from the treatment register at the physiotherapy department of the sports medicine centre. Results: A total of 171 sports related injuries were reported at the general records unit of the NSMC; with a male to female ratio of 2:1. Of this number; 121 (70.8) were referred for physiotherapy with strain (n= 57; 33.3) constituting the majority of physiotherapy referrals. At the physiotherapy department; the knee (n=43; 30.1) and the thigh (n=33; 25.4) were the most treated body parts. Track and field events (n=48; 36.9) recorded the highest number of injuries treated. Exercise therapy (n=81; 25.5) was the most frequently used modality; followed closely by transcutenous electrical nerve stimulation therapy (n=73; 20.3). Conclusion: The frequency of referral of sports injuries for physiotherapy at the NSMC was high. Exercise therapy was the most frequently used treatment modality and injuries affecting the lower limbs were mostly treated. Emphasis should therefore be laid on prevention of lower limb injuries