Villasan, Ma. Beatrice D.

3-SPS

PEDro Scale:

The Effect of High Resistance Training on reported pain in older adults

by Kathleen M. Knutzen, Bethany A. Pendergrast, Billie Lindsey, and Lorraine R. Brilla Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA

PEDro Scale 1. Eligibility criteria were specified.

Rating YES

2. Subjects were randomly allocated in groups.

YES

Statement Ninety-eight participants between (60 83 years) that were recruited through advertisements via the local hospital network, community senior centers, and retirement homes within the county. 97 participants between (60 83 years) that were recruited through advertisements via the local hospital network, community senior centers, and retirement homes within the county. 57 women (59%) and 40 men (41%) assigned to a control (n =19) and treatment group (n = 79). Participants manually completed the written form of the MPQ. One trainer was present for every four participants.

3. Allocation was concealed. 4. The groups were similar at baseline regarding the most important prognostic indicators. 5. There was blinding of all subjects 6. There was blinding of all therapists who administered the therapy. 7. There was blinding of all assessors who measured at least one key outcome. 8. Measures of at least one key outcome were obtained from more than 85% of the subjects initially allocated to groups.

NO YES

NO YES

NO

YES

9. All subjects for whom outcome measured were available received the treatment.

YES

To assure completion of the MPQ, research assistants administered individual assessments by providing verbal information on the selections. All subjects completed the study. At the end of the eight weeks, the MPQ was readministered to both the control and the training groups. All subjects in the training group were required to attend three resistance training sessions per week for eight weeks. All subjects

10. The results of between-group statistical comparisons are reported for at least one key outcome.

YES

11. The study provides both point measures and measures of variability for at least one key outcome.

YES

completed the study. The training group reported less perceived pain than the control group in four pain measures (overall pain intensity, sensory dimension, miscellaneous pain measures, number of pain descriptors selected). There were no differences reported for the affective or evaluative dimensions of perceived pain, the number of painful areas, or the present pain. Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the control and training groups in self reported pain measures when adjusted for by pretest pain values (Table 2).

Villasan, Ma. Beatrice D. 3-SPS

Crombie Scale:

Smoking and Overweight as Predictors of Hospitalization for Back Disorders

By Leena Kaila-Kangas, MSc,* Paivi Leino-Arjas, DMedSc,* Hilkka Riihimaki, DMedSc,* Ritva Luukkonen, PhD,* and Juhani Kirjonen, PhD

Crombie Scale 1. Was the aim clealy stated?

Rating YES

2. Was the design appropriate to the stated aims?

YES

3. Was the sample size justified?

YES

4. Was the measurement likely to be valid and reliable?

YES

Statement To study the relationship of smoking and overweight with severe back disorders leading to hospitalization. Heavy smoking and overweight predicted hospitalization because of intervertebral disc disorders. Other back-related diagnoses of hospitalization were not consistently associated with smoking and their association with overweight disappeared when subjects with a chronic back disorder at baseline were excluded from the analyses. A systematic equal spaced nonproportional sampling (n _ 902) was done by strata according to gender, age and occupational class. For the present analyses, managers and office staff were pooled (whitecollar employees) and similarly skilled and semiskilled workers (blue-collar employees). The rate ratios of hospitalization for smoking and BMI adjusted for age, gender, and occupational class were calculated. An additional adjustment for selfreported chronic back disorders was then made. Finally, all potential confounders were added as covariates.
The authors were provided with a conversion of the diagnoses based on

5. Was the exposure/intervention

YES

accurately measured? 6. Were the relevant outcomes ignored? 7. Was the statistical methods described? 8. Did the untoward incidents happen in the study? 9. Do numbers add up? YES

the ICD-10 to those in the ICD-9 by the National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health. The heavy smokers rate ratio was clearly higher than that of the never-smokers, but not statistically significantly (Table 3).

YES

Cox proportional hazards regression was used in the analyses (PHREG, SAS 8.2)
Deceased subjects were censored in the analysis. All potential confounders were added as covariates. The rate ratios of hospitalization for smoking and BMI adjusted for age, gender, and occupational class were calculated. An additional adjustment for self-reported chronic back disorders was then made. Two sets of analyses were performed for each outcome variable: including all subjects, and excluding those with a chronic back disorder or sciatica at baseline. The risk of ex-smokers to be hospitalized because of inter-vertebral disc diseases was similar to that of never-smokers, when those with back disorders at baseline were excluded from the analyses.

YES YES

10. Were the basic data adequately described?

YES

11. Was the statistical significance assessed?

YES

12. Was there a conclusion to the study?

YES

13. Are there any previous findings or future directions for the research?

YES

Heavy smoking and overweight predicted hospitalization because of inter-vertebral disc disorders. The present results add to the evidence that smoking and overweight play a role in the etiology of disc disorders. Well-specified classifications of back disorders are needed in back research.