Research projects

SELFBACK - support to handle pain in the small of the back by yourself
The purpose of the project is to develop an app that can support people with low back pain to handle their situation, make good decisions for their back, be physically active and thereby support self-management. PAW is responsible for the final randomized controlled trial to test the effect of the app.   

The project is a 5 years Horizon 2020 project started in 2016. PAW is one of eight partners in the project. You can read more about the project here. 

Contact person: Mette Stochkendahl or Karen Søgaard

Musculoskeletal disorders among surgeons that operate within minimal invasive surgery
The project examines work related musculoskeletal disorders among surgeons that operate within conventional laparoscopy and robot-assisted laparoscopy as well as possible differences between the two operation methods. Furthermore, the project examines characteristics in working exposure associated with musculoskeletal disorders in several body regions.

Contact person: Tina Dalager

The road to development
The purpose of the project is to evaluate the interdisciplinary effort for citizens assigned to a vocational rehabilitation programme in Sønderborg Municipality. The focal point is to outline how the citizens function and handle their daily life, and to outline how a vocational rehabilitation programme can help to develop and clarify the citizen’s work abilities.

The project is conducted in Sønderborg Council in the period of 2015 to 2018, and the research-based evaluation is conducted in cooperation between the Municipality and University of Southern Denmark.

Contact person: Lotte Nygaard Andersen

Rehabilitation of patients with brain tumor
Patients with brain tumors can experience both cognitive and functional loss of function. Undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the patients often experience side effects such as tiredness, inactivity and nausea, which has a negative effect on the patients quality of life. In this project, it is examined if a structured rehabilitation effort with physiotherapy and occupational therapy in the active treatment period can improve the patient’s quality of life and functional level as well as a reduction of side effects from the medical treatment. 

Contact person: Anders Hansen

Musician health
FAS has several projects within musician health. Professional musicians have a working place with a lot of challenges. There are high standards for the artistic performance, and flexibility is expected, though many musicians have work related musculoskeletal pain. PAW creates knowledge about musicians’ playing related muscle strains measured with EMG, about the culture of coping with pain among musicians and about interventions with physical training among musicians.

Contact person: Karen Søgaard or Lotte Nygaard Andersen

Way to go
The purpose of the project is to develop a united effort among workplace and the prevention as well as rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders for employees with musculoskeletal pain and physically demanding jobs. The project will develop tools that facilitates communication between employees, leaders and general practitioners in the early stages of sickness absence.

Contact person: Mette Stochkendahl

The impact of sitting time at work and in leisure time and the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease
The purpose of the project is to examine the connection between socio-demographic conditions and sedentary behavior among adults measured with accelerometers over seven contiguous days. 
Furthermore, the connection between sedentary behavior in work and leisure time and the risk for metabolic diseases and cardiovascular diseases is also examined.

Contact person: Melker Staffan Johansen

Workplace interventions to reduce loss of earnings because of neck problems in office personnel
Neck pain in the workplace is frequent and may cause loss of earnings. This randomized controlled study conducted in Australia tests the impact of a workplace-based best practice ergonomic intervention with a validated neck exercise protocol on productivity and severity of neck pain in a population of office personnel. 

Contact person: Gisela Sjøgaard 

FRIDOM
The Fridom project is conducted in Syddjurs Municipality and with the purpose of  implementing Intelligent physical exercise training as a sustainable intervention to prevent lifestyle diseases. Primary outcome is pain in the neck shoulder region with well-known risk factors for lifestyle diseases as secondary outcomes.

Contact person: Karen Søgaard or Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen