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Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of lumbar stabilization exercise (LSE) and graded activity exercise (GAE) on concentrations of interleukin (IL) 1A (IL1A), IL18 receptor 1 (IL18R1), IL18 receptor accessory protein (IL18RAP), IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), and clinical outcomes of pain intensity, disability, catastrophizing, diverting-attention, cognitivecoping and pain-reinterpretation in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP). Methods: This study was a single-blind parallel trial with an adaptive trial design. Fiftyfour patients with NSCLBP were randomly assigned to LSE and GAE treatment groups. Demographic and anthropometric characteristics were measured. Treatments were administered twice a week for 10 weeks. The concentrations of IL1A, IL18R1, IL18RAP, IL-6, and COX2 of patients were assessed at four time points with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pain, disability, catastrophizing, diverting attention, cognitive coping, and pain reinterpretation were assessed at three time points with valid instruments. The responsiveness of the biochemical mediators to LSE and GAE was determined with a Bayesian one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics at P<0.05. Results: The concentrations of IL1A, IL18R1, IL18RAP, and COX2 were unresponsive (Bayes factor [BF]<1) to LSE and GAE, while IL-6 concentrations were responsive (Bayes factor [BF]>1). The concentrations of IL-6 increased significantly (P<0.05) after LSE with a significant reduction (P<0.05) in pain, disability, and catastrophizing, while the concentration of IL-6 increased significantly (P<0.05) after GAE with a significant reduction (P<0.05) in pain, and disability. Effects of LSE and GAE on IL-6 concentrations, pain, and disability were comparable (P>0.05). Catastrophizing of patients with LSE was significantly less (P<0.05) compared to GAE. Discussion: LSE increases IL-6 concentrations in NSCLBP patients while reducing pain, disability, and catastrophizing, while GAE increases IL-6 concentrations and reduces pain and disability. IL-6 concentrations, pain, and disability of patients were similar after LSE and GAE. Patients catastrophize less with LSE compared to GAE, hence LSE shows more beneficial effects for patients with NSCLBP than GAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is one of the most frequently reported ankle and foot overuse injuries. Prior studies have reported altered biomechanical variables of the lower limb as risk factors for the prevalence and severity of AT in athletes, especially in Caucasians, but there are few reports on African elite athletes. Because it is established that anthropometric and biomechanical values vary with racial disposition, this study was designed to investigate the association between selected physical and biomechanical variables of the lower limb and the prevalence and severity of AT in Nigerian elite track and field athletes., Subjects and Methods: Eighty-five elite Nigerian track and field athletes participated in this cross-sectional study. Biomechanical variables of Q-angle, tibial torsion, limb-length discrepancy (LLD) and foot posture index (FPI) were evaluated using standard procedures. The presence of AT was confirmed with ultrasonography and clinical assessments, whereas the severity was evaluated with VISA-A questionnaire. Inferential statistics of Chi-square was used to determine the association between prevalence of AT and the biomechanical variables., Results: The prevalence of AT was 15.3%, made up of participants who tested positive to both clinical test and ultrasound scan. There was no significant association between AT and LLD, tibial torsion and FPI. Most of the participants with AT had genu varum, which was significantly associated with both the prevalence and severity of AT., Conclusion: It was concluded that genu varum had a significant association with both the prevalence and severity of AT in elite Nigerian track and field athletes., Competing Interests: None

Objectives: This study has investigated the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), the most commonly affected body parts, the risk factors of WMSDs and the coping strategies adopted by hairdressers., Material and Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. Two hundred and ninety-nine hairdressers (242 females and 57 males) from salons in Surulere and Mushin Local Government Areas of Lagos State completed a 27-item questionnaire. They were selected using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. The inferential analysis was conducted using the Chi2 test. The level of significance stood at p < 0.05., Results: The 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders stood at 75.6%. Two hundred and twenty-one (91.3%) participants reported gradual onset of musculoskeletal disorders. One hundred and sixteen (47.9%) participants had the onset of the WMSDs at the age range of 26-35 years. The most commonly affected body parts included the low back (76.3%), shoulder (62.5%) and neck (46.3%). Some of the major job risk factors of the WMSDs that were identified included: working in the same position for long periods and attending to a large number of customers in 1 day. Taking sufficient rest breaks by participants was one of the coping strategies adopted by the participants. The mean number of years of working experience was 7.85±0.4 years. One hundred and twenty-four (41.5%) participants had worked for 1-5 years. The Chi2 analysis showed that the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders were significantly associated with the age of a participant (Chi2 = 78.78, p = 0.001), years of working experience (Chi2 = 78.03, p = 0.001) and hours spent working in a standing position (Chi2 = 8.77, p = 0.01), respectively., Conclusions: The age of hairdressers, their years of working and the long hours they spent working in a standing position may be significant factors that contribute to the high prevalence of the WMSDs among them. The most commonly affected body parts included the low back, shoulders and neck., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)