From Understanding The Mechanisms To Implementing Conservative Management Of Musculoskeletal Conditions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,339,215.00
Summary
Musculoskeletal pain is the leading cause of disability internationally and outcomes are worsening. This work will take a unique approach to study back pain from the mechanisms that occur at the cellular level to the interaction between a person’s physiology and psychology to understand why pain fluctuates, to understand how treatments can be more appropriately tailored for individuals, and to test how people with back pain can be supported to change behaviours and achieve recovery.
Maternal Health Study (phase 2): Longitudinal 4-year Follow-up Of A Prospective Nulliparous Pregnancy Cohort
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$660,402.00
Summary
The burden of disease among women after childbirth is substantial, under-recognised by health professionals, and symptoms do not necessarily resolve within the first 12 months. Common health problems after childbirth include: chronic exhaustion, back pain, urinary and faecal incontinence, perineal pain, sexual health issues and intimate partner violence. This study will extend follow-up of over 1500 women taking part in a longitudinal study investigating the physical and psychological health of ....The burden of disease among women after childbirth is substantial, under-recognised by health professionals, and symptoms do not necessarily resolve within the first 12 months. Common health problems after childbirth include: chronic exhaustion, back pain, urinary and faecal incontinence, perineal pain, sexual health issues and intimate partner violence. This study will extend follow-up of over 1500 women taking part in a longitudinal study investigating the physical and psychological health of women during pregnancy and the first 18 months after the birth of their first child. In phase 2 of the study, women will be followed up 6 and 12 months after second and subsequent births, and 4 years after the birth of their first child. A major aim of phase 2 of the study is to assess the prevalence, incidence, onset, severity, duration, recurrence and chronicity of maternal health problems (including urinary and faecal incontinence, perineal pain, sexual health issues, depression and intimate partner violence) after second and subsequent births, and 4 years after giving birth to a first child. The study will also determine the extent to which the method of birth in the first birth influences longer-term maternal health outcomes including urinary and faecal incontinence, and investigate the implications of chronic and recurring physical health problems for women's psychological health and well-being. Information on the incidence and natural history of maternal health problems after caesarean and operative vaginal births will make a major international contribution to more informed debate among clinicians, and to informing women, about the risks and benefits of increasing caesarean births. The study findings will be used to inform clinical midwifery, obstetric and primary care practice, and assist in the design of new early intervention and primary care strategies for supporting women in the early years of parenting.Read moreRead less
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Code Game Alarm Compared With A Standard Alarm For Treating Nocturnal Enuresis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,740.00
Summary
Bedwetting affects 10% of school-aged children. It has psychosocial and cognitive effects on sufferers which is reversible with appropriate treatment. First line treatment for bedwetting is alarm therapy. 1-3 fail alarm treatment becaues of not waking to alarm noise. A novel alarm which enhances wakening has been developed and predicts to be 80-95% effective. This study compares the novel alarm to a standard alarm for treating bedwetting.This simple devise can be used in the home setting.
Development Of The GUTSTIM Device For The Treatment Of Intractable Constipation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,746.00
Summary
We have developed a new treatment for chronic constipation that uses electrical stimulation through the skin similar to physiotherapy treatments for sports injuries. 20 million people (3% of children and 20% of the elderly) have chronic constipation. This proposal is to develop a simple purpose-built machine that has the best electronic properties for stimulating the intestine. The machine will be simple, easy to use and cheap, allowing safe use at home by children and the elderly.
Targeted Pelvic Floor Muscle Training For Urinary Incontinence After Radical Prostatectomy: A Randomised Controlled Trial With Embedded Physiological Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$966,377.00
Summary
Prostatectomy is a common treatment for the most common cancer in men. Survival is good, but many develop debilitating urinary incontinence. Past pelvic floor muscle training has had limited effect, but recent work has changed understanding of how muscles control continence and compensate for surgery. This clinical trial compares innovative training individually tailored to optimise continence, usual exercise and no treatment, and aims to identify men most likely to benefit from treatment.
I am a neuroscientist translating basic knowledge on the enteric nervous system into new therapies for children with previously untreatable bowel motility disorders. I am heading a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and scientists leading the world in