Assoc. Professor Paul Hodges - Spinal Risk Examined

People with breathing difficulties or urinary incontinence may be at greater risk of spinal injuries.

Associate Professor Paul Hodges from UQ?s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is investigating the correlation between the nervous system dealing with multiple tasks, such as respiration and joint stability, and the risk factors for developing musculoskeletal pain and injury.

?Muscles often perform multiple functions at the same time and the brain prioritises these tasks according to their relative importance, which means that the accuracy of joint stability often comes second and places the person at greater risk of injury,? he said.

Dr Hodges plans to use the award funds to examine how the brain controls movement and alters with pain and what situations put people at greater risk of injury.

?Musculoskeletal pain is the third leading cause of health-care expenditure in Australia and spinal pain is the most common and expensive work-related injury in western society,? he said.

?The identification of risk factors for back pain, particularly for those suffering from asthma and urinary incontinence, will help develop guidelines for injury prevention and provide new strategies for rehabilitation, thereby improving patient outcomes.?

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