Exploration of patient's experience of physiotherapy in BJHS v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of patients’ experience of physiotherapy in Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (BJHS)
IRAS ID
149058
Contact name
Philippa Coales
Contact email
Research summary
Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (BJHS) is a complicated, chronic condition characterised by widespread aches and pains in muscles and joints, fatigue and impaired daily living. Alongside joint pains and difficulties at work, it can also give symptoms of poor co-ordination, dizziness, palpitations, nausea, anxiety and low mood. It is different from being simply very flexible or mobile (without any side-effects) and the exact number of sufferers is unknown due to difficulties in identifying the condition accurately.
Management of BJHS is usually done through collaboration with specialist doctors, physiotherapists and pain specialists such as nurses and clinical psychologists. There is no consensus as to the best mode of delivering this management and it is understood that more research is needed into the effectiveness of any intervention given. There are many research studies designed to investigate the causes of BJHS but there is very little evidence of the effectiveness of its management and just as importantly, how patients feel about the care they receive. What is particularly poorly understood is how people who have BJHS think they manage their symptoms, what effects it has on their lives and what they think about the physiotherapy treatment provided.
The aim of this pilot study is to gain understanding of how patients feel about their experience of the physiotherapy care in BJHS. Interviews will be undertaken with patients who received treatment at a specialist therapy centre in Bath. Through these, it is hoped that ideas for further research and areas where existing physiotherapy management could be improved may be found and disseminated to other non-specialist therapy centres.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
14/WA/1125
Date of REC Opinion
5 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion