The effect of a high density foam seating wdge on back pain intensity when used by 14-16year old school students: A randomised controlled trial

Candy, Elizabeth, Farewell, Daniel, Jerosch-Herold, Christina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0525-1282, Watts, Richard, Shepstone, Lee and Stephenson, RC (2012) The effect of a high density foam seating wdge on back pain intensity when used by 14-16year old school students: A randomised controlled trial. Physiotherapy, 98 (4). pp. 300-306. ISSN 1873-1465

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Abstract

Objectives: No previous randomised controlled trials had been undertaken investigating the effect of school seating on back pain in 14 to 16 year olds. This study was designed to test the effect of the use of a high-density foam wedge on normal school seating on the intensity of back pain. Design: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: Suffolk, a predominantly rural county in eastern England. Participants: One hundred and eighty-five students with back pain were recruited from 12 schools. Randomisation was stratified by school. The control and intervention groups included 92 and 83 students, respectively. Intervention: Following a 1-week baseline observation period, each student in the intervention group was given a wedge to use on their school chairs. Outcome measure: The primary outcome measure was pain intensity (numerical rating scale, 0 to 10) recorded in pain diaries over 4 weeks. Random effects models were used to analyse the pain intensity data. Results: Ninety-seven students (46 control group, 51 intervention group) completed the trial. For the intervention group, pain intensity was reduced significantly over the 3 weeks of wedge use. The average reduction in pain intensity was estimated to be 0.709 points (95% confidence interval 0.341 to 1.077), representing a 58% reduction in back pain for those in the intervention group. Conclusion: Use of a wedge reduced the intensity of back pain significantly, especially in the evenings. The results suggest that further research into the longer-term effect of seating on pain intensity in adolescents should be considered.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Copyright © 2011 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Uncontrolled Keywords: adolescent,back pain,female,human engineering,humans,interior design and furnishings,male,medical records,physical therapy modalities,posture,schools,treatment outcome
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Allied Health Professions (former - to 2013)
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Norwich Clinical Trials Unit
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Services and Primary Care
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Public Health and Health Services Research (former - to 2023)
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Musculoskeletal Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Rehabilitation
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Population Health
Depositing User: Rhiannon Harvey
Date Deposited: 28 Jun 2011 08:25
Last Modified: 04 Jan 2024 01:41
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/33067
DOI: 10.1016/j.physio.2011.04.353

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