Bonello Christian, Menz Hylton B, Munteanu Shannon E, Rio Ebonie, Docking Sean I
La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Bundoora Victoria Australia 3086.
La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Bundoora Victoria Australia 3086; Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Bundoora Victoria Australia 3086.
Phys Ther Sport. 2022 Jan;53:21-27. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2021.11.001. Epub 2021 Nov 8.
The objectives of this study were to examine the treatment preferences and use of diagnostic imaging by Australian allied health professionals in the management of midportion Achilles tendinopathy.
Cross-sectional survey of Australian allied health professionals.
An online survey was distributed to registered Australian physiotherapists, podiatrists, myotherapists, exercise physiologists, osteopaths, and chiropractors between September 2018 and October 2019. This survey captured information on clinician demographic, treatment modalities, frequency of use and the reasons for their preferences. A descriptive analysis of the data was employed with nominal and ordinal data analysed using frequency counts.
Valid responses were captured from 283 respondents, the majority (229, 80.9%) being physiotherapists. Exercise-based therapy and education were the most commonly used treatments (98.6% and 92.6%, respectively), with the majority of respondents (91.8% and 89.3%) stating that they "always" provided these interventions. Respondents stated that they utilised a number of exercise modalities within the last three years (median = 3, IQR = 3 to 4). Other interventions used as adjunct treatments included heel lifts for shoes (70.0%), massage (59.4%), and taping (40.3%). The majority of respondents (76.7%) never or rarely used diagnostic imaging, citing its limited impact on treatment decision-making and potential for negative impact on patient outcomes.
Australian allied health professionals predominantly use exercise and education, but also use adjuncts such as heel lifts and massage, in the management of midportion Achilles tendinopathy. The results of this study may inform research priorities to generate high quality evidence that best reflects clinical practice.
本研究的目的是调查澳大利亚专职医疗人员在治疗中部跟腱病时的治疗偏好及诊断性影像学检查的使用情况。
对澳大利亚专职医疗人员进行横断面调查。
在2018年9月至2019年10月期间，向澳大利亚注册物理治疗师、足病医生、肌骨治疗师、运动生理学家、整骨疗法师和脊椎按摩治疗师发放在线调查问卷。该调查收集了临床医生的人口统计学信息、治疗方式、使用频率及其偏好的原因。对数据进行描述性分析，使用频数计数法分析名义数据和有序数据。
共收集到283名受访者的有效回复，其中大多数（229名，80.9%）是物理治疗师。基于运动的疗法和教育是最常用的治疗方法（分别为98.6%和92.6%），大多数受访者（91.8%和89.3%）表示他们“总是”提供这些干预措施。受访者表示在过去三年中他们使用了多种运动方式（中位数=3，四分位间距=3至4）。用作辅助治疗的其他干预措施包括鞋跟垫（70.0%）、按摩（59.4%）和贴扎（40.3%）。大多数受访者（76.7%）从未或很少使用诊断性影像学检查，理由是其对治疗决策的影响有限且可能对患者预后产生负面影响。
澳大利亚专职医疗人员在治疗中部跟腱病时主要采用运动和教育方法，也使用鞋跟垫和按摩等辅助手段。本研究结果可为研究重点提供参考，以产生最能反映临床实践的高质量证据。
