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Musculoskeletal Disorders

Journal Article
Researching the Appropriateness of Care in the Complementary and Integrative Health Professions: Part I
In this series of articles, we describe how we gathered the varied and detailed data required to achieve the following study objectives: (1) to measure the appropriateness of M/M for CLBP and CCP and (2) to determine whether patient preferences and costs affect appropriateness, and further, whether appropriateness affects outcomes.
Jun 10, 2019
Journal Article
Pain Severity as a Mediator of the Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Physical Performance in Knee Osteoarthritis
This study examined whether pain severity mediates the association between depressive symptoms and physical performance in persons with radiographic knee osteoarthritis.
Feb 7, 2019
Journal Article
Estimating the Returns to United Kingdom Publicly Funded Musculoskeletal Disease Research in Terms of Net Value of Improved Health Outcomes
Building on an approach applied to cardiovascular and cancer research, we estimated the economic returns from UK public and charitable-funded musculoskeletal disease research that arise from the net value of the improved health outcomes in the UK.
Nov 8, 2018
Report
Determining the Appropriateness of Spinal Manipulation and Mobilization for Chronic Low Back Pain
As part of a larger study, back pain experts discussed and rated the appropriateness of spinal manipulation and mobilization for chronic low back pain. Ratings were higher for mobilization than manipulation, and rates of agreement increased after panelists met to discuss the issues.
Jul 24, 2018
Journal Article
Medical Care Spending and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Workers' Compensation Reforms
Following workers' compensation reforms in California, workers with low back injuries received less medical care, leading to an 8% drop in post-injury earnings relative to other injured workers. These results suggest that medical spending can impact health and that health affects labor outcomes.
May 2, 2018
Journal Article
How Does Sagittal Imbalance Affect the Appropriateness of Surgical Indications and Selection of Procedure in the Treatment of Degenerative Scoliosis? Findings from the RAND/UCLA Appropriate Use Criteria Study
Sagittal imbalance—an imbalance in the spine causing forward displacement of the head—is a major factor affecting both whether surgery is appropriate and which procedure is preferred among patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis.
Apr 26, 2018
Journal Article
Cognitive and Mind-Body Therapies for Chronic Low Back Pain and Neck Pain: Effectiveness and Value
A recent Institute for Clinical and Economic Review provides evidence that some cognitive and mind-body therapies are effective for chronic low back pain and also cost-effective.
Apr 18, 2018
Journal Article
Manipulation and Mobilization for Treating Chronic Low Back Pain
While both manipulation and mobilization may reduce pain and improve functioning for patients with chronic low back pain, manipulation appears to have a greater effect.
Mar 2, 2018
Journal Article
Quality of Care and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Prospective Observational Study
Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome who receive necessary care, including surgery and activity assessment and management, have better outcomes.
Feb 13, 2018
Journal Article
Development of a Canadian Core Clinical Dataset to Support High-quality Care for Canadian Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
The core elements in the Canadian Rheumatoid Arthritis Core Clinical Dataset were rated as important and feasible to collect by rheumatology care providers and people living with arthritis from across Canada.
Oct 13, 2017
Report
Are Advanced Prosthetics Worth the Costs?
Prosthetic knees and feet allow for more-dynamic movements and improve user quality of life, but payers have recently started questioning their value for money. A simulation model can assess the clinical outcomes and costs of microprocessor-controlled knees compared with more traditional ones.
Sep 5, 2017
Periodical
RAND Review: September-October 2017
This issue highlights recent RAND research on North Korea; RAND's future workspace pilot project; and insights on the post--Arab Spring experience in the Middle East.
Aug 24, 2017
Journal Article
Estimating the Long-Term Functional Burden of Osteoporosis-Related Fractures
Osteoporosis-related fractures are associated with significant longer-term (up to two years and beyond) declines in functional health status.
Aug 3, 2017
Journal Article
Yoga, Physical Therapy, or Education for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial
A structured yoga program for patients with chronic lower back pain may be a reasonable alternative to physical therapy, depending on patient preferences, availability, and cost.
Aug 2, 2017
Journal Article
Quality of Care for Work-Associated Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Over 80 percent of a regional system's occupational clinics adhered to recommended care processes for Carpal tunnel syndrome, and differences in care quality were associated more with clinical factors than patient socioeconomics and demographics.
Jul 18, 2017
Journal Article
Patient Use of Cost and Quality Data When Choosing a Joint Replacement Provider in the Context of Reference Pricing
Despite growing availability of cost and quality information, hip and knee replacement patients almost always focus on the choice of a surgeon, primarily based on reputation, as opposed to a hospital.
Jun 12, 2017
Journal Article
Engaging Patients and Caregivers Managing Rare Diseases to Improve the Methods of Clinical Guideline Development: A Research Protocol
A new, online method to engage more patients and caregivers in developing clinical guidelines will be created and then tested, using Duchenne muscular dystrophy as an example.
Jun 2, 2017
Journal Article
Association Between Hospitals' Engagement in Value-Based Reforms and Readmission Reduction in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program
Hospitals participating in one or more voluntary Medicare value-based reform programs were less likely to readmit patients within 30 days of discharge than non-participating hospitals.
May 23, 2017
Journal Article
Does a Quality Improvement Campaign Accelerate Take-Up of New Evidence? A Ten-State Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of the IHI's Project JOINTS
States participating in Project JOINTS, a six-month quality improvement campaign to reduce infection risk after joint replacement surgery, adhered to three new evidence-based practices significantly more than non-participants.
May 23, 2017
Journal Article
Association of Spinal Manipulative Therapy With Clinical Benefit and Harm for Acute Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
The use of spinal manipulative therapy to treat acute lower back pain was associated with modest improvement in pain and function in this systematic meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
May 19, 2017

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