Welcome to the audio edition of Spinal Columns, the official research newsletter from CANSpine. This issue explores patient experiences with advanced physiotherapy, a new group exercise program for adults at risk of falls, and the reliability of guidelines for complex pain. We’ll also look at how social factors might influence recovery from workplace injuries.

First up, you've likely heard of advanced practice physiotherapy, but how do patients feel about it around the world? A comprehensive evaluation of patient satisfaction with this care across different international settings was not previously available. To address this, researcher Alison Rushton conducted a systematic review of existing studies, synthesizing both quantitative and qualitative data to get a clearer picture.

Sticking with the theme of advanced practice physiotherapy, how do patients specifically experience this type of care for low back pain? Although it is used within care pathways for low back pain, the experience of patients receiving this care has not been explored. In a new protocol, Alison Rushton outlines a plan to conduct case studies in Ontario and England, using questionnaires and interviews with patients and physiotherapists to understand their experiences.

Next, we turn to a study on adults with osteoporosis or those at risk of developing it. The research focused on implementing a group physiotherapy program in an outpatient clinic. Researcher Christina Ziebart and her team enrolled participants in a six-week, twice-weekly program of 60-minute exercise sessions designed to target whole-body strength and balance.

When it comes to managing complex conditions, clinicians rely on practice guidelines, but how reliable are they? Various guidelines offer direction on how to manage Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS, using non-pharmacological, conservative approaches. To assess these, David Walton and his colleagues systematically searched for these guidelines in order to evaluate their quality and compare their treatment recommendations.

Finally, do the tools used to predict recovery from musculoskeletal injuries work the same for everyone? Researchers considered that social factors like age, gender, and income could affect the accuracy of these prediction tools. To investigate this, a team led by David Walton analyzed data from injured workers who had completed surveys about their pain, distress, and personal demographics.

That’s all the research we have time for in this issue. For more details on these studies and to see the full newsletter, please visit the CANSpine website. Be sure to subscribe to Spinal Columns to stay up to date on the latest research.