International Journal of Physical Therapy Research & Practice

Parents' Perceptions of Backpack Use and Its Impact on Children's Musculoskeletal Health in Saudi Schools Over Three Semesters with Textbook Integration

Abdul-Wahab Ahmed Alzahrani — 2025-04-30

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are increasingly common among children, particularly due to heavy backpacks or improper backpack usage in school. In Saudi schools, the integration of heavier textbooks has exacerbated this issue, raising concerns about children's long-term musculoskeletal health. This study explores parents' perceptions of backpack use and its impact on their children's musculoskeletal health during the integration of textbooks over three consecutive semesters. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1 to August 11, 2024, in Saudi Arabia. Parents or guardians of students from schools implementing textbook integration for three consecutive semesters were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized the data, while Chi-square, Fisher's exact tests, and One-way ANOVA were used to analyze the influence of sociodemographic factors on perceptions using SPSS version 28, with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The study included 715 participants, primarily mothers (63.9%) and married individuals (86.8%). Most parents had a university education or higher (fathers 68.8%, mothers 65.3%), with fathers mostly employed in the governmental sector (61.9%). Half of the mothers were not working (50.7%), and 38.4% of families had a monthly income over 15,000 SAR. 81.5% of children carrying shoulder bags, 58.0% of which they chose themselves. Half spent under 15 minutes transporting their bags, mainly by private car (69.5%). A significant 81.0% of parents reported their child felt a sense of heaviness with the backpack, and 76.1% observed musculoskeletal issues, including shoulder pain (60.3%), fatigue (54.1%), neck pain (38.6%), upper back pain (39.5%), and low back pain (29.2%). Factors influencing discomfort included carrying shoulder bags (p=0.001), carrying bags for over 15 minutes (p<0.001), and walking to school (p=0.008). Overall, 59.2% exhibited inadequate knowledge, with married parents (p<0.001) and mothers (p=0.008) showing less knowledge. Fathers in the governmental sector had higher knowledge (p=0.041), as did mothers not working (p=0.029). Parents with children complaining of backpack-related heaviness had better knowledge (p=0.001), as did those with children in governmental schools (p=0.031). Conclusion: Heavy backpacks significantly affect children's musculoskeletal health, with prevalent complaints of pain and fatigue. Despite this, parents generally lack adequate knowledge about proper backpack usage. Educational programs are essential to improve awareness and promote proper backpack use, alongside recommendations to reduce textbook loads and integrate e-learning.

Comparison Of Kaltenborn Mobilization With Muscle Energy Technique In Patients With Adhesive Capsulitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Muhammad Zohaib — 2025-04-30

Background: Adhesive capsulitis is one of the disabling conditions that significantly affects individuals of all ages. Manual therapy is one of the most effective approaches to treat this condition.

Objective: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Kaltenborn mobilization and Muscle energy techniques on pain, disability, and Range of motion in patients with Adhesive Capsulitis.

Methods: This was a parallel arm single-blinded randomized clinical trial. Seventy-six patients with adhesive capsulitis were randomly assigned into two groups through computer software. The outcome measures included pain measured through the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), shoulder range of motion measured by a Goniometer, and disability measured by the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). The measurements were taken at baseline and in the 4^th week after the intervention. The analysis was done through paired t-test using SPSS version 26.

Results: The results of this randomized clinical trial exhibited that Kaltenborne mobilization resulted in a significant difference in pain, shoulder range of motion, and functional mobility in patients with adhesive capsulitis (p-value <0.05). The within-group comparison showed improvement in both groups however between-group comparison showed greater improvement in the Kaltenborn group.

Conclusion: This study concluded that Kaltenborn mobilization was more effective in reducing pain, disabilities, and increasing range of motion along with functional mobility in patients with adhesive capsulitis.

Effectiveness of Self-administered High Frequency pocket TENS in pain intensity, and workability among university students with Primary Dysmenorrhea – A quasi-experimental study design

Ramya Ramasamy Sanjeevi — 2025-04-30

Background: Primary Dysmenorrhea (PD) is a painful condition affecting women of childbearing age, often hindering daily tasks. In Physical Therapy, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is widely used to relieve pain without side effects. Our study assesses the effectiveness of self-administered high-frequency pocket TENS (HF TENS) in reducing pain and enhancing workability among university students with PD in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A quasi-experimental study involving 51 female university students was conducted. Participants received HF TENS with a pulse frequency of 100Hz for 30 minutes from day 1 to day 3 of their menstrual cycle. Pain intensity was assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for lower abdomen pain (LAP) and low back pain (LBP). The Workability, Location, Intensity, Days of Pain, and Dysmenorrhea (WaLIDD) score was used to determine dysmenorrhea severity. Pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments were conducted on day 1 and day 3 of the menstrual cycle, respectively. Results: The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a significant reduction in pain intensity for both LAP (Median pre-6; post-1) and LBP (Median pre-5; post-1) following HF TENS application (p < 0.001). Similarly, a significant improvement in dysmenorrhea severity was observed (p < 0.001). Fisher's exact test indicated a statistically significant association between HF TENS treatment and dysmenorrhea severit. Conclusion: Self-administered HF pocket TENS application effectively reduces pain intensity and improves workability among university students with PD in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.