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Joint effort
Best preventive treatment for musculoskeletal
problems is physical activity, report finds.
A
s muscle, bone and joint conditions continue to become
more common, new research has found that those
suffering from musculoskeletal problems could benefit
from a different approach to treatment.
The recently released national report was commissioned by
MOVE and conducted by PwC, and identifies changes that could
improve patient outcomes and treatment costs.
According to the report, musculoskeletal conditions such as
arthritis, chronic back pain and osteoporosis affect 6.8 million
Australians and cost tax payers $55 billion each year.
PwC senior partner James van Smeerdijk said the rising
figures showed a new approach with less surgery and joint
replacements was necessary. “At the moment we are spending
billions of dollars, and patients are still not getting the best
outcomes,” he said.
“If we fund only what works, increase awareness and update our
approach to care delivery, it will go a long way towards getting
Australians moving.”
The report identified the best preventive treatment as physical
activity for all ages – whether it be training for a marathon and
hitting the gym or a less strenuous activity like gardening or
walking to the mailbox.
Report recommendations included: movement therapy as first
line of care, increase osteoporosis screening, faster referral to
specialist services, remove unnecessary interventions, update
approach to delivery of care, increase awareness, and fund only
what works.
Australian Physiotherapy Association chief executive Cris Massis
said there were many things people could do to help themselves
and reduce the severity of their condition.
“Helping people to move, manage pain and maintain a
healthy weight will relieve pressure on hospitals and make a real
difference to their lives,” he said.
To coincide with the release of the report, a national public
awareness campaign – #PainfulTruths – was also launched to
show why better outcomes are urgently needed for those living
with musculoskeletal conditions.
More than 700,000 residents had been diagnosed with
musculoskeletal conditions since the last report in 2013. ■
Fake sleep may give brain boost
Fooling brain into sleep-like activity may prevent cognitive decline.
R
esearchers investigating how
the brain could be made more
resistant to age-related decline
have found that the key is sleep.
Dr Martin Sale, a researcher from the
University of Queensland’s School of
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said
artificially boosting sleep-like brain activity
in the elderly could help prevent a decline
in brain function.
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agedcareinsite.com.au
“Sleep plays a key role in promoting
neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to
re-wire itself – but as sleep quality reduces
as we age, our brain function is affected,”
Sale said.
“Sleep is important in helping to
consolidate the changes to brain function
that occur while you are awake; for
example, if you have a good night’s sleep
after studying, you’re much better at
remembering the material you learnt for
an upcoming exam.
“A portion of sleep, the deep part of
sleep known as slow wave sleep, assists
with strengthening the brain changes
required for learning and memory that
occur throughout the day.
“We would like to artificially cause the
relevant brain regions to oscillate at this
slow frequency, to mimic slow wave sleep,
but when the brain is awake.”
Researchers can achieve this by passing
a “small alternating electric current”
between two parts of the brain, using what
is described as a safe and often completely
unnoticeable procedure.
“In essence we are tricking the brain
into thinking it’s asleep to harness the
beneficial aspects of sleep even though it’s
still awake,” Sale said.
“Approximately 50 per cent of adults
complain of difficulty sleeping and
approximately 20 per cent of adults aged
over 65 have some form of cognitive
impairment.”
University of Queensland researchers
are looking for healthy right-handed
elderly participants aged over 65 years to
participate in the study.
For information on participating
and to find out more, email Dr Martin Sale
at [email protected]. ■