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Psychosocial aspects of musculoskeletal disorders

Call for Papers

New Content ItemHealthcare’s reliance on biomedical and pharmaceutical interventions does not prevent suffering from musculoskeletal ailments. Increasingly, evidence-based medicine shows that a biopsychosocial approach is favored instead of opioids prescriptions and imaging referrals. Patient education, exercise, and cognitive behavioral treatments benefit those seeking care, yet how do healthcare professionals implement such interventions (when their training was based on biomedicine)?

There is a big gap between the translation of evidence in clinical evidence  - a biopsychosocial framework should integrate the biomed and psychosocial to explain and treat phenomena like cross-talk in chronic MSK pain. There is real hope that utilizing a psychosocial framework will benefit patients, so, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders enthusiastically announces this Call for Papers with anticipation.

We welcome Research Articles, front-end matter, and Study Protocols on all investigations into this field, such as bio-psychosocial risk and prognostic factors, patient education, communication, biopsychosocial pain management and/or research into contextual (placebo and nocebo) factors. Studies aiming to increase clinical tool reliability and validity in low-income/ socioeconomic settings are encouraged to submit, as well as mind-body approaches such as meditation, mindfulness, hypnosis, imagery, neurofeedback, yoga or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Please ensure manuscripts adheres to the submission guidelines for BMC-Series journals. Especially for manuscripts describing randomized trials, qualitative research, and systematic review/ meta-analysis methods, the Equator Network reporting guidelines should be followed. Please ensure you highlight in your cover letter that you are submitting to a collection. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Psychosocial aspects of musculoskeletal disorders".

Proposals for Commentaries, Editorials, and Narrative Reviews will be considered, but editorial pre-approval is required. If you would like to inquire about a study’s suitability of a study for consideration or propose a commissioned topic, please email a pre-submission enquiry to ciaran.fitzpatrick@springernature.com.

The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2023, and articles will be published shortly after each acceptance.

Submissions focussing on a rheumatic condition, not the joint/musculoskeletal aspect, will be considered but may be transferred to BMC Rheumatology pre-acceptance.

Meet the Collection Editors

Dr Markus Rupp

Markus Rupp works as an Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon at the University Medical Center Regensburg, Germany. He is head of Infection Surgery and Research Affairs at the Department of Trauma Surgery.  His clinical research interests are bone and joint infections. Markus is driven to further improve diagnostics and treatment for his patients by translation of basic research into the clinical daily life. One of his main research focus is to determine and improving psychological well-being of his patients.
 

Dr Anita Amorim 
Dr Anita Amorim is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy and Early Career Researcher at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her research interests include risk factors and management of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Anita completed her PhD in Health Sciences in 2018 and a one-year postdoctoral research fellowship in Public Health in 2020, both at the University of Sydney. Anita’s research vision is to improve the quality of life of people living with chronic musculoskeletal pain and reduce the global burden of this condition for patients and the healthcare system. Her research program has taken a translational approach in reducing unnecessary healthcare utilization in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain through behavioral change. With her experience in designing and conducting methodologically robust and highly impactful research, Anita has secured over $1 million in competitive research funds as Chief and Associate Investigator and published in high-quality peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Prof Bart Staal
Prof Bart Staal is a physiotherapist and human movement scientist by background and further specialized in clinical epidemiology. He obtained his PhD from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam (2003) for which he studied  the effects of a cognitive-behavior oriented graded activity program for airline workers with low back pain. Bart currently works as a professor of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation at the HAN University of Applied Sciences and as a senior research fellow at the Radboud University Medical Center, both in Nijmegen the Netherlands. His research themes include: effectiveness of physiotherapy, communication between healthcare providers and patients, and personalized care in patients with musculoskeletal disorders, Bart was an Associate Editor of BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders since 2010, section Editor of the section Rehabilitation, Physical therapy and occupational health in 2014 and is Senior Editorial Board member since 2020. 

Dr Derek Clewley
Dr. Derek Clewley is an Assistant Professor at Duke University in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Division.  His areas of research and clinical expertise are related to the management of neck pain.  He has a background in systematic review methodology as well as health services research.  Dr. Clewley teaches content related to musculoskeletal disorders. 


 

Dr Imran Khan Niazi
Dr Imran Khan Niazi has been working for the past 12 years as an active researcher in physical and neural rehabilitation, focusing on non-pharmacological/conservative modes of treatment to optimize the patient's rehabilitation journey and improve their quality of life. He has extensive experience working in multidisciplinary teams that include chiropractors, physiotherapists, medical doctors, engineers, and neuroscientists, with a strong patient-centered, evidence-informed approach. For further details please visit Imran’s ResearchGate or Google Scholar profile.

  1. To evaluate the effectiveness of a discourse-based psychological intervention on perioperative anxiety, pain and life satisfaction of patients with AIS.

    Authors: Luosha Bi, Chengjun Pan, Jiaxing Li, Jiahui Zhou, Xiangyu Wang and Shiqi Cao
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:422
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. People with patellofemoral pain (PFP) exhibit impaired psychological and pain processing factors (i.e., kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing and pressure pain thresholds [PPTs]). However, it remains unclear whe...

    Authors: Ana Flavia Balotari Botta, Júlia de Cássia Pinto da Silva, Helder dos Santos Lopes, Michelle C. Boling, Ronaldo Valdir Briani and Fábio Mícolis de Azevedo
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:397
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. While fear of movement is an important predictor of pain and disability in osteoarthritis (OA), its impact on patients with hip OA remains uncertain. This study aimed to determine whether fear of movement, eva...

    Authors: Ryo Hidaka, Takeyuki Tanaka, Kazuaki Hashikura, Hiroyuki Oka, Ko Matsudaira, Toru Moro, Kenta Matsuda, Hirotaka Kawano and Sakae Tanaka
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:388
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common knee disorder that causes persistent pain, lower self-reported function and quality of life. People with PFP also present with altered psychological factors, which are ass...

    Authors: Liliam Barbuglio Del Priore, Vitoria Ozores Perez, Ronaldo Valdir Briani, Lucca Andre Liporoni Bego Farinelli, Júlia de Cássia Pinto da Silva, Odisséia Marli Gimenes Martins, Fábio Arruda Lopes, Anita Barros Amorim, Evangelos Pappas and Fábio Mícolis de Azevedo
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:372
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  5. Neuropathic pain arises as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system. Pharmacological treatments for neuropathic pain often fail despite following guidelines. Interdiscipli...

    Authors: Nazdar Ghafouri, Emmanuel Bäckryd, Elena Dragioti, Marcelo Rivano Fischer, Åsa Ringqvist and Björn Gerdle
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:357
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  6. Approximately 20% of total knee arthroplasty patients experience persistent postsurgical pain one year after surgery. No qualitative studies have explored previous stories of painful or stressful life experien...

    Authors: Vibeke Bull Sellevold, Unni Olsen, Maren Falch Lindberg, Simen A. Steindal, Arild Aamodt, Anners Lerdal and Alfhild Dihle
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:305
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Chronic pain and depression are frequent comorbidities in primary care. Depression among other psychosocial factors play a role in the clinical course of chronic pain.

    Authors: Concepció Rambla, Enric Aragonès, Meritxell Pallejà-Millán, Catarina Tomé-Pires, Germán López-Cortacans, Elisabet Sánchez-Rodríguez and Jordi Miró
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:270
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Large heterogeneity exists in the clinical manifestation of hip osteoarthritis (OA). It is therefore not surprising that pain and disability in individuals with hip OA and after total hip arthroplasty (THA) ca...

    Authors: Abner Sergooris, Jonas Verbrugghe, Thomas Matheve, Maaike Van Den Houte, Bruno Bonnechère, Kristoff Corten, Katleen Bogaerts and Annick Timmermans
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:224
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  9. Musculoskeletal pains (MSPs) in sport are cause of poor performances and loss of competition in athletes. The present study aimed at determining the prevalence of MSPs with regard to sport disciplines and athl...

    Authors: Hassane Malam Moussa Ahmet, Elysée Claude Bika Lele, Wiliam Richard Guessogo, Wiliam Mbang Bian, Jessica Guyot, Ahmadou, Peguy Brice Assomo-Ndemba, Clarisse Noel Ayina, Loick Pradel Kojom Foko, Caroline Dupré, Nathalie Barth, Bienvenu Bongue, Abdoulaye Ba, Abdoulaye Samb, Samuel Honoré Mandengue and Jerson Mekoulou Ndongo
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:210
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. To compare the clinical efficacy of open debridement screw fixation combined with bone grafting, percutaneous screw fixation, and percutaneous screw fixation combined with injection of platelet-rich plasma (PR...

    Authors: Zhenye Zhong, Meiyang Wei, Zhaoying Jiang, Jinshui Chen, Yanda He and Kaifeng Lin
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:204
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. The prevalence of anxiety in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and its association with postoperative functions are well known; however, the levels of anxiety or anxiety-related characteristics...

    Authors: Kwang-Hwan Jung, Jang-Ho Park, Jae-Woo Ahn and Ki-Bong Park
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:161
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems affecting daycare (nursery) workers. We aimed to identify the psychosocial factors influencing LBP in daycare workers.

    Authors: Xuliang Shi, Megumi Aoshima, Tadayuki Iida, Shuichi Hiruta, Yuichiro Ono and Atsuhiko Ota
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:1055
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. Although treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a major public health problem that increases mortality due to suicides, a considerable percentage of patients do not respond adequately to variable treatments. ...

    Authors: Takayoshi Matsui, Kazuhiro Hara, Makoto Iwata, Shuntaro Hojo, Nobuyuki Shitara, Yuzo Endo, Hideoki Fukuoka, Masaki Matsui and Hiroshi Kawaguchi
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:907
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Chronic pain and the accompanying level of disability is a healthcare crisis that reaches epidemic proportions and is now considered a world level crisis. Chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) contributes...

    Authors: Antonio J. Varela and Kathryn W. Van Asselt
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:21
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  15. The pathogenesis of syndromes of widespread musculoskeletal pain remains an enigma. The present study sought to determine if psychological states, job satisfaction, pain intensity, and sleep problems contributed ...

    Authors: Jan Olav Christensen, Sissel Johansen and Stein Knardahl
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2017 18:140
    Content type: Research article Published on: