Research Themes
The musculoskeletal division is comprised of approximately 30 people with research addressing four principal themes:Ageing
The Ageing theme contributes to the widespread implementation of evidence-based exercise programs to enhance functioning in older people and those with physical disability.
Our currently funded research program includes clinical trials evaluating existing programs and other studies which aim to contribute to the design of more effective exercise programs.
The Ageing research theme is co-ordinated by Dr Cathie Sherrington.
Back Pain
The Back Pain theme aims to improve the management of back pain (including neck pain and whiplash), in the primary care setting. The theme’s major research projects are centred around; a better understanding of causes and sources of low back pain; defining the clinical course of low back pain; better management of low back pain; identifying mechanisms underlying persistence of symptoms following a whiplash injury and the development and testing of clinical measures of low back pain.
The Back Pain theme is co-ordinated by Prof Chris Maher.
Contracture
The Contracture theme makes fundamental contributions to the understanding of mechanisms and treatment of contracture. Contracture is the stiffening of muscles that is commonly seen in a range of health conditions, including stroke and head injury, orthopaedic conditions and cerebral palsy. Contractures impede joint movement and can be seriously disabling.
Research conducted under the Contracture theme includes laboratory research designed to understand the nature of contracture, as well as clinical research designed to clarify the prevalence and incidence of contracture in different populations, and test and develop strategies to prevent and treat contractures.
The Contracture theme is co-ordinated by Assoc Prof Rob Herbert.
The Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy
The Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy produces the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro).
PEDro is a free, internet-based database of research evidence for physiotherapy interventions. The database indexes evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials in physiotherapy.
A unique feature of PEDro is that all randomised controlled trials are assessed for quality, to quickly guide users to trials that are valid and likely to contain sufficient data to guide clinical practice.
In October 2008 PEDro contained 13,541 records, and the number of guidelines, reviews and trials is growing at an exponential rate. PEDro has been continuously available since 1 October 1999, and can be accessed via www.pedro.org.au.
PEDro is widely used by the international physiotherapy community and by users and funders of physiotherapy services.
Over 1,800 users access the PEDro home-page each day, and they run over 2,500 searches of the PEDro database. In 2007 the five countries using PEDro the most were Australia (19%), USA (16%), Netherlands (7%), Brazil (7%), and the United Kingdom (6%).
PEDro is co-ordinated by Dr Anne Moseley.