The Distinguished Lecture Series in
Sports Medicine at Hope College will feature the address, "A
research-based approach to the treatment of low back pain"
on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Maas Center.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The talk will be presented by Dr. Julie Fritz, who
is an assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department
of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Services at the
University of Pittsburgh.
According to Fritz, the prevalence of low back
pain and its associated disability has reached nearly
epidemic proportions in industrialized countries such as the
United States while little is known concerning effective
strategies for prevention and treatment. She will discuss
the recent research trend that focuses on identifying
subgroups of patients who are more likely to respond to a
specific treatments. She will also review the current state
of research on low back pain, and present one attempt to
develop a classification scheme for patients with acute low
back symptoms.
Fritz is a 1990 Hope graduate. She completed an
M.S. in physical therapy at the University of Illinois in
1992, and a doctorate in health and rehabilitation services
at the University of Pittsburgh in 1998.
The Distinguished Lecture Series in Sports
Medicine is designed for health care professionals with an
interest in physically active patients, and is intended for
students, educators and clinicians alike. It is co-
sponsored by Holland Community Hospital, GNA Rehabilitation
Professionals and the college.