Patients' expectations of physiotherapists before and after an intensive chronic low back pain rehabilitation programme: a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews and observations.

PURPOSE: To investigate the expectations regarding physiotherapists of patients attending an interdisciplinary CLBP rehabilitation programme and the response to these expectations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A thematic analysis was conducted, based on interviews of working-age patients with CLBP and without significant comorbidities. RESULTS: Twenty patients participated (9 male, 11 female, aged 21-58 years; symptoms duration 4.3 ± 3.0 years; pain VAS 53 ± 21 mm). Patients expected to learn pain and activity management. Expected outcomes were a reduction of pain, increased well-being and a return to normality. A collaborative approach involving therapeutic and relational adaptation was expected. Despite divergences concerning emotional aspects, patients expected a large range of applied psychosocial skills.The programme met the expectations of most patients, especially when its goals matched those reported by the individuals. For most participants, the pain relief was below expectations. Active therapies were valued. After the programme, patients felt more ready to take responsibility for their back. CONCLUSION: The expectation of developing self-management skills was prevalent. Expected treatments were mostly compatible with recommendations. Expectations to resume activities and decrease pain were in line with the rehabilitation goals, although the expected reduction in pain was overestimated. Relational expectations converged towards patient-centred care.

Patient­therapist agreement on rehabilitation goals is central to meeting the expectations of patients following a chronic low back pain (CLBP) rehabilitation programme.Physiotherapists should be aware of the wide range of expectations that patients with CLBP have of them in terms of skills development, relationship and outcome.The treatments expected by patients with CLBP were mostly compatible with scientific treatment recommendations.Since expectations are rarely expressed spontaneously during treatment sessions, physiotherapists should regularly enquire about them and their evolution in the course of rehabilitation.Following the programme, the patients' expectations had shifted from focusing on the physiotherapist to taking responsibility for self-management of the CLBP, although they had some doubt about their ability to achieve this.

Trajectoires de personnes souffrant de lombalgie chronique : ruptures et reconstructions après un programme de rééducation.

Purpose of research: The objective of this article is to investigate, from the perspective of patients, the disruptions of the biographical trajectories induced by chronic low back pain and the impact of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on their reconstruction. METHODS: Based on an interdisciplinary qualitative research, we investigated the experience of 20 participants with chronic low back pain following a three-week rehabilitation program at the hospital. Semi-directive interviews were conducted before and after inclusion in the program. RESULTS: Although affecting each person in a singular way, chronic low back pain induces biographical linearity disruptions related to the apparition of pain, and the disruption of daily and professional activities. For the majority of participants, the rehabilitation program provided a repairative space to restore continuity between past, present and future life. Whether or not there is a significant improvement in pain, most participants report benefits that give them the feeling of getting back to normality. Nevertheless, they identify those more for the domestic, family, and social spheres than at the professional level, effects remaining moderate to mitigated in that area. CONCLUSIONS: The rehabilitation program influences the dynamics of biographical trajectories and promotes a return to what is perceived as normality. By providing individuals with theoretical and practical tools and increasing their functional capacities, it promotes autonomous pain and problem management. Immediate effects are seen as restorative for domestic, family and social activities, but remain limited on the professional level.

[Chronic low back pain: from the uncertain medical diagnosis to the profane etiologies]. / Lombalgie chronique : du diagnostic médical incertain aux étiologies profanes.

This qualitative research article is based on interviews with 20 participants to a low back pain rehabilitation program in a Swiss hospital. It shows that, in the absence of the obvious cause that can explain pain, patients construct their own interpretations and explanations in order to give meaning to their experience. Their explanatory models mainly include the lifestyle and the physical aspects related to the body function, what leaves little room for the psychosocial component. Their interpretation is consequently discordant with the current medical approach, which considers that chronic low back pain results from bio-psycho-social factors. This discrepancy implies negotiation between patients and professionals about the objectives to achieve in order to treat pain.

Cet article, issu d'une recherche qualitative menée dans un hôpital suisse, est basé sur des entretiens avec 20 participants à un programme de rééducation de la lombalgie. Il montre qu'en l'absence de causes objectivables permettant d'expliquer la douleur, les patients élaborent leurs propres interprétations et explications pour donner sens à leur vécu. Leurs modèles explicatifs incluent principalement le mode de vie et les aspects physiques liés au fonctionnement du corps et laissent peu de place à la composante psychologique. Leur interprétation est, par conséquent, en décalage avec la vision médicale actuelle qui considère que les douleurs dans la lombalgie chronique sont d'origine bio-psychosociale. Ce décalage implique une concertation entre patients et professionnels sur les objectifs à poursuivre pour traiter la douleur.

Heightened clinical utility of smartphone versus body-worn inertial system for shoulder function B-B score.

BACKGROUND: The B-B Score is a straightforward kinematic shoulder function score including only two movements (hand to the Back + lift hand as to change a Bulb) that demonstrated sound measurement properties for patients for various shoulder pathologies. However, the B-B Score results using a smartphone or a reference system have not yet been compared. Provided that the measurement properties are comparable, the use of a smartphone would offer substantial practical advantages. This study investigated the concurrent validity of a smartphone and a reference inertial system for the measurement of the kinematic shoulder function B-B Score. METHODS: Sixty-five patients with shoulder conditions (with rotator cuff conditions, adhesive capsulitis and proximal humerus fracture) and 20 healthy participants were evaluated using a smartphone and a reference inertial system. Measurements were performed twice, alternating between two evaluators. The B-B Score differences between groups, differences between devices, relationship between devices, intra- and inter-evaluator reproducibility were analysed. RESULTS: The smartphone mean scores (SD) were 94.1 (11.1) for controls and 54.1 (18.3) for patients (P < 0.01). The difference between devices was non-significant for the control (P = 0.16) and the patient group (P = 0.81). The analysis of the relationship between devices showed 0.97 ICC, -0.6 bias and -13.2 to 12.0 limits of agreement (LOA). The smartphone intra-evaluator ICC was 0.92, the bias 1.5 and the LOA -17.4 to 20.3. The smartphone inter-evaluator ICC was 0.92, the bias 1.5 and the LOA -16.9 to 20.0. CONCLUSIONS: The B-B Score results measured with a smartphone were comparable to those of an inertial system. While single measurements diverged in some cases, the intra- and inter-evaluator reproducibility was excellent and was equivalent between devices. The B-B score measured with a smartphone is straightforward and as efficient as a reference inertial system measurement.

Measurement properties of the smartphone-based B-B Score in current shoulder pathologies.

This study is aimed at the determination of the measurement properties of the shoulder function B-B Score measured with a smartphone. This score measures the symmetry between sides of a power-related metric for two selected movements, with 100% representing perfect symmetry. Twenty healthy participants, 20 patients with rotator cuff conditions, 23 with fractures, 22 with capsulitis, and 23 with shoulder instabilities were measured twice across a six-month interval using the B-B Score and shoulder function questionnaires. The discriminative power, responsiveness, diagnostic power, concurrent validity, minimal detectable change (MDC), minimal clinically important improvement (MCII), and patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) were evaluated. Significant differences with the control group and significant baseline-six-month differences were found for the rotator cuff condition, fracture, and capsulitis patient groups. The B-B Score was responsive and demonstrated excellent diagnostic power, except for shoulder instability. The correlations with clinical scores were generally moderate to high, but lower for instability. The MDC was 18.1%, the MCII was 25.2%, and the PASS was 77.6. No floor effect was observed. The B-B Score demonstrated excellent measurement properties in populations with rotator cuff conditions, proximal humerus fractures, and capsulitis, and can thus be used as a routine test to evaluate those patients.