Physical Diagnosis 180

Course overview

*Investigate the effect of patient expectations on short-term, subjective improvement in recurrent or persistent low back pain patients. *Determine whether the ritual of the history and physical examination results in meaningful change in pain and function for low back pain patients before any treatment is provided. *Assess the potential negative effect of routine MRI reports on the perception of the patient and treatment outcomes and explore a method for improvement. *Explore the level of association between kinesiophobia and pain, disability, and quality of life as well as its role as a prognostic factor in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. *Quantify the role of contextual effects in the nonpharmacologic treatment of knee osteoarthritis.