Impaired health-related quality of life, psychological distress, and productivity loss in younger people with persistent shoulder pain: a cross-sectional analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate wellbeing and work impacts in younger people with persistent shoulder pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: People aged 20-55 years with shoulder pain of >6 weeks' duration (excluding those with recent fracture or dislocation) were recruited from orthopaedic clinics at three major public hospitals. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological distress were evaluated using the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) and K10 instruments and compared to population norms. Shoulder-related absenteeism and presenteeism were quantified using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 81 participants (54% male), 69% had shoulder pain for over 12 months. Substantial HRQoL impairment was evident (mean reduction from population norms 0.33 AQoL units, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.27; minimal important difference 0.06 AQoL units). High or very high psychological distress was three times more prevalent among participants than the general population (relative risk 3.67, 95% CI 2.94 to 4.59). One-quarter of participants had ceased paid employment due to shoulder pain and 77% reported shoulder-related impairment at work. CONCLUSIONS: The broader impacts of painful shoulder conditions on younger people extend well beyond pain and upper limb functional limitations. In particular, the work-related impacts should form a routine part of patient assessment and rehabilitation.Implications for rehabilitationPersistent shoulder pain in younger people (aged 20-55 years) is associated with substantially reduced health-related quality of life and greater psychological distress, compared to population norms, as well as work participation and productivity impacts.As rotator cuff conditions, shoulder capsule pathology, and glenohumeral instability are relatively common, our data suggest that persistent shoulder pain is likely to have a high community impact among people of working age.Information resources that people with painful shoulder conditions can share with their families, employers, and colleagues may assist others to better understand the broader impacts of these conditions.Work-related challenges associated with shoulder pain should be considered within routine clinical care, and may require referral to an occupational health clinician or vocational rehabilitation service.

LOAD-intensity and time-under-tension of exercises for men who have Achilles tendinopathy (the LOADIT trial): a randomised feasibility trial.

BACKGROUND: One potential reason for disparate outcomes of exercise for Achilles tendinopathy is poor knowledge about whether exercise parameters (i.e. different exercise doses) influence outcome. Whether parameters that are important for tendon adaptation influence clinical outcomes in Achilles tendinopathy has not been investigated. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the feasibility of conducting a fully powered randomised trial to investigate the efficacy of different load-intensity and time-under-tension exercise parameters for Achilles tendinopathy. METHODS: A factorial four-arm, randomised trial. Forty-eight male participants (18-70 years old) with mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy (≥ 3 months) were recruited. Participants were randomly allocated to high (6 repetition maximum) or low intensity (18 repetition maximum) exercise, performed with either high (6 s per cycle) or low (2 s per cycle) time-under-tension. Participants performed 12-weeks of standing and seated calf raise exercises three times per week in a gym setting using a Smith machine. One session per week was supervised (via videoconference). Primary feasibility outcomes (recruitment and retention rate, exercise adherence and fidelity [i.e. time-under-tension, volume, load intensity], incidence of adverse events, health care use and productivity cost) were collected weekly. Means and standard deviations were determined for parametric data, medians and interquartile range for non-parametric continuous data, and frequency counts for discrete data. RESULTS: Total recruitment (76%) and retention (90%) rates were high. Exercise adherence ranged from 45 to 63% and fidelity ranged from 8 to 83% across the groups. Thirty-one participants reported 64 adverse events over the 3 months. Twenty-one participants (70%) reported mild events. Participants reported reduced presenteeism more than absenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: A fully powered trial is feasible. The proposed trial design and interventions demonstrated acceptable recruitment and retention rates and safety profile. However, exercise fidelity and adherence to the gym-based intervention was not acceptable. Strategies to improve intervention adherence and fidelity should be considered in future trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12618001315202 . Registered retrospectively on August 6th, 2018.

Exploring the personal burden of shoulder pain among younger people in Australia: protocol for a multicentre cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Persistent musculoskeletal conditions can impact profoundly on younger people's quality of life, psychological distress and capacity to work, as shown by previous research involving younger people with osteoarthritis. The personal impacts, in particular, work and parenting impacts, of other musculoskeletal conditions (such as persistent shoulder pain) on younger patient groups remain poorly understood. Furthermore, the personal financial burden associated with managing musculoskeletal conditions is rarely documented. This study aims to investigate well-being, work participation and productivity, shoulder-related parenting disability and out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure among younger people with shoulder pain and evaluate changes over 12 months. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: One hundred and fifty people aged 20-55 years with shoulder pain of more than 6 weeks' duration (excluding those with recent history of fracture or dislocation) will be recruited for this cohort study. Participants will be recruited from three major public hospitals in Victoria, Australia, following screening of orthopaedic outpatient clinics lists and referrals. Participants will be asked to complete a baseline questionnaire and 2-week healthcare costs diary, with follow-up data collected at 12 months. Patient-reported outcomes will be collected, including health-related quality of life (HRQoL), shoulder pain and function, psychological distress, shoulder-related parenting disability and work productivity. Information on sociodemographics, employment, health services utilisation and shoulder-related healthcare expenditure will also be collected. Descriptive analysis of baseline data will provide a comprehensive snapshot of the personal burden of shoulder pain. Baseline HRQoL and psychological distress data will be compared with Australian population norms to provide context around well-being. Associations between sociodemographic factors and patient-reported outcomes will be evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Changes in patient-reported outcomes from baseline to 12 months will be analysed using paired t-tests. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been obtained. The study findings will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant scientific meetings.

Identifying complications requiring re-operation following primary hip or knee arthroplasty: a consecutive series of 98 patients.

BACKGROUND: The number of hip and knee arthroplasties completed is expected to double over the next decade. In public hospitals, regular post-arthroplasty orthopaedic review has commonly occurred for the duration of a patient's life, which requires substantial outpatient resources. However, there is limited evidence regarding the utility of these reviews for identifying complications. The current study investigated when and where complications requiring re-operation were identified following primary hip or knee arthroplasty. METHODS: The medical records of all patients requiring re-operation for complications following primary hip arthroplasty (n = 48, 2004 to 2015) or knee primary arthroplasty (n = 50, 1998 to 2015) at a large regional health service were evaluated. Data were extracted by one of four investigators using a standardised electronic data extraction tool. Variables of interest included the health setting where the complication was initially identified, how long following the original operation the complication was identified and whether the complication was symptomatic. RESULTS: Routine post-arthroplasty orthopaedic appointments identified 15 (15.3%) complications requiring re-operation; all were identified in the first-year post-surgery. For each complication identified in the first-year post-surgery, approximately 1000 orthopaedic outpatient appointments were required. After the first year, all complications were identified in Emergency Departments (n = 30, 30.6%), General Practice (n = 24, 24.5%) or non-routine orthopaedic outpatient appointments (n = 19, 19.4%). All patients with complications reported symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Routine post-arthroplasty review appointments were an inefficient mechanism for identifying complications requiring re-operation more than one year following surgery. Public health services should consider assessing and redesigning post-arthroplasty review services to reduce the burden on patients and the demand for outpatient appointments.

Preferences for Disease-Related Education and Support Among Younger People With Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the usefulness and accessibility of different delivery modes of disease-related education and support, as perceived by younger people with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: People ages 20-55 years with hip or knee OA were recruited from 3 major Australian public hospitals and the community (n = 147). Data were collected on use of disease-related education and support services, as well as perceived usefulness and accessibility of delivery modes including group-based programs, online resources, telephone helplines, mailed information, social media, and mobile applications (rated on visual analog scales from 1-10; higher scores indicate greater usefulness or accessibility). RESULTS: Very few participants had used social media (5%), group self-management programs (3%), or telephone helplines (2%) to obtain OA information. Mailed information packs and online education programs were considered the most useful (median usefulness scores 8.0 and 7.0, respectively) and accessible methods (median accessibility scores 10.0 and 9.0, respectively) for providing OA education and support. Social media was perceived as least useful (median usefulness score 2.0) and least accessible; 45% of participants considered it "not at all useful," while 35% reported it would be "very difficult" to access OA education and support by this means. Less educational attainment was associated with greater perceived difficulty in accessing online/electronic delivery modes, while people in paid work perceived easier access. CONCLUSION: These data highlight the value of mailed information and online education to younger people with OA and can be used to develop targeted resources for individuals of working age. Social media was not a highly valued source of disease-related education and support.

Investigating well-being, work limitations and preferences for self-management education and peer support among younger people with hip and knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) has traditionally been considered a condition of older age. However, younger people are also affected by hip and knee OA, often as a result of sporting and work-related injuries. As OA studies have generally focused on older individuals, little is known about the experience of younger adults with hip or knee OA who can face a distinct set of pressures including work responsibilities and parenting roles. This study aims to investigate well-being and work participation among younger people with hip or knee OA, as well as preferences for OA education and support. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: 200 people aged 20-55 years with a diagnosis of hip and/or knee OA will be recruited for this cross-sectional study. Participants will be recruited from three major public hospitals in the state of Victoria, Australia following screening of orthopaedic outpatient clinic lists and referrals, and through community-based advertisements. A study questionnaire will be mailed to all participants and written informed consent obtained. Validated measures of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), health status, psychological distress and work limitations will be used. Information on health services use will be collected, in addition to information on the perceived utility and accessibility of a range of existing and proposed education and peer support models. HRQoL data will be compared with Australian population norms using independent t tests, and associations between HRQoL, health status, psychological distress, work limitations and demographic factors will be evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Data on the perceived utility and accessibility of education and peer support models will be analysed descriptively. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval for the study has been obtained. The study findings will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and arthritis consumer organisations for broader dissemination, and presented at national and international scientific meetings.

Successfully reforming orthopaedic outpatients.

Since 2005, Barwon Health has successfully reformed its orthopaedic outpatient service to address the following issues: increasing number of referrals, inefficient referral management and triage, long waiting times for non-urgent appointments, high 'Did Not Attend' (DNA) rates and poor utilisation of conservative therapies before referral to surgeon. Numerous strategies have been implemented including: waiting list audits, triage guidelines, physiotherapy-led clinics, a DNA policy, an orthopaedic lead nurse role and a patient-focussed booking system. There has been a 66% reduction in the number of patients waiting for their first appointment; an 87% reduction in the waiting time from referral to first appointment; a 10% reduction in new patient DNAs; and more efficient referral management and communication processes. Patients are now seen in clinically appropriate time frames and offered earlier access to a wider range of conservative treatments.