Found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31025539/
Found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30909261/
On Wednesday February 12, 2020, KUSI hosted a live television segment featuring our FEMA-funded firefighter wellness initiative with Charity Lane and John Mayer. A link to the segment is found here:
https://www.kusi.com/fema-funded-firefighter-wellness-initiative-in-san-diego/
January 22, 2019, San Diego, CA:
Charity Lane and John Mayer invited to present at the North American Spine Society – Evidence & Technology Spine Summit, 2019
Charity L. Lane, MS, MA, CPT, FNS and John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM have been invited to present at the North American Spine Society’s 15th Annual Evidence & Technology Spine Summit, February 13-16, 2019 in Park City, Utah during two novel sessions: 1) Exercise Committee Session: Exercise Recommendations/Guidelines for LBP Consensus or Conflict, and 2) Nutritional Considerations in Spine Care.
During the presentations, they will discuss their experiences and evidence-based practices on nutritional approaches and exercise applications for back pain management and injury prevention in tactical athletes and the general population. The sessions are hosted by the NASS Exercise Committee, which Dr. Mayer serves on.
The Evidence & Technology Summit “provides both surgical and medical interventional perspectives on spine care. Expert faculty moderate this highly interactive meeting that provides spine specialists with a forum to discuss and debate new technologies, techniques and treatments as well as collaborate with peers on how best to improve patient outcomes.” For more information, see: https://www.spine.org/etss
Position Opening: INTERNSHIPS – EXERCISE & FITNESS IN TACTICAL ATHLETES
SUMMARY:
U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation – a non-profit 501c3 organization – has Exercise & Fitness Internships available in the field of wellness, fitness, and injury prevention in tactical athletes and high-risk occupations.
Intern Roles and Responsibilities: The primary responsibilities of the Intern will be to assist the Project Leaders with a wide variety of tasks related to the field-based project – Implementation of a Regional Firefighter Wellness Initiative, such as: Exercise/wellness/fitness testing and prescription for high risk occupations and tactical athletes; data collection and management; and other duties as assigned.
Through this internship, the Intern will gain experience with learning to perform clinical tests and exercise/wellness prescription procedures for musculoskeletal injury prevention and management in high risk occupations and tactical athletes within a unique field-based wellness program and research setting.
Minimum Qualifications: Current college student (senior undergraduate to graduate level desired) working on a degree in kinesiology, exercise & sports science, physiology, or public health. Internships for credit must be coordinated through an academic department, supervised by a faculty member, and student must be in enrolled in a formal university course; BLS / CPR certification required; Certification in a related field or certified/licensed healthcare provider (preferably CPT from ACSM or NSCA) desired; Experience with MS Office Suite (e.g. Excel, Word, Outlook); Excellent verbal and written communication skills; Keen attention to detail in task planning, organization, and execution, and time management; Experience with exercise and fitness testing and prescription; and Reliable transportation. Research experience is preferred.
Time commitment: Interns will be expected to commit to 12+ hours per week (depending upon the hour requirement for academic course credit, as applicable). Distribution of hours must be comprised of no less than 4-hour time blocks.
Compensation and Academic Credit: Compensation (paid or unpaid) and for academic credit opportunities are contingent upon the policies of the academic
To apply – Send resume / CV and cover letter via email to: Charity Lane, MS. MA, CPT, FNS; Director of Program Development, U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation; email: charitylane@usssf.com; phone: 813-503-7109
Position Opening: TACTICAL FITNESS SPECIALIST
SUMMARY:
U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation – a non-profit 501c3 organization – is seeking to hire a Tactical Fitness Specialist for a federally-funded grant – Implementation of a Regional Firefighter Wellness Initiative.
DUTIES:
QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum Qualifications: 1) Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 2 years experience in fitness testing and prescription, OR Masters degree with research thesis or internship in a related field; 2) Fitness certification from a recognized organization (e.g. ACSM, NSCA) (preferably CSCS), OR certification in a related field, OR certified/licensed healthcare provider.
Preferred Qualifications: 1) Post-graduate experience with designing and conducting exercise prescriptions for fitness training programs; 2) Experience working with first responders and tactical athletes; 3) Formal experience in clinical research.
Other skills and certifications: BLS / CPR certification; Human subjects’ research training (employer will provide research training upon hire).
GENERAL:
Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Hours: up to 40 hours/week (full-time or part-time appointments will be considered). Weekend hours may be required.
Number of positions open: up to 2.00 FTE.
Earliest potential start date: March 1, 2019.
Term: Up to 24 months (grant-funded).
Application End Date: Open until filled.
Location: San Diego, California.
To apply – Send resume / CV and cover letter via email to: John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM; Scientific Officer, U.S. Spine & Sport Foundation; phone: 858-583-4494; email: johnmayer@usssf.com
January 2, 2019, San Diego, CA: Dr. Mayer publishes article on management of back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation
John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM recently published an article in The Spine Journal, titled “Low back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation: a systematic review of the literature” (1). The article – for which Dr. Mayer is senior author – reports on a systematic review of the literature to determine the strength of evidence related the occurrence and severity of low back pain secondary to lower extremity amputation.
The literature search uncovered 17 published articles of various quality, which indicates a significant knowledge gap on this topic. The search findings led to the development of 8 empirical evidence statements. The empirical evidence statements will be used to help develop strategic objectives for future research, knowledge translation, and clinical implementation efforts for the management of low back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation.
1) Highsmith MJ, Goff LM, Lewandowski AL, Farrokhi S, Hendershot BD, Hill OT, Rabago CA, Russell-Esposito E, Orriola JJ, Mayer JM. Low back pain in persons with lower extremity amputation: a systematic review of the literature. The Spine Journal, 2018 Aug 24. pii: S1529-9430(18)31099-4. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.08.011 (Epub ahead of print).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30149083
December 26, 2018, San Diego, CA: Global Spine Care Initiative publishes special issue in the European Spine Journal
The Global Spine Care Initiative recently published its initial findings in a special issue of the European Spine Journal. The Global Spine Care Initiative was created by World Spine Care “to reduce the global burden of disease and disability by bringing together leading healthcare providers, scientists, specialists, government agencies, and other stakeholders to transform the delivery of spine care. The goal is to determine what approaches are most likely to help people who have spinal disorders and to develop a model for prevention and care that could be reasonably be instituted in communities with different levels of resources.” For more information, see www.globalspinecareinitiative.org
John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM – who serves on the Scientific Secretariat for the Global Spine Care Initiative and Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board for World Spine Care – is co-author on 6 articles in the special issue (1,2,3,4,5,6).
December 22, 2018, San Diego, CA: Dr. Mayer selected for Implementation Science Work Group of the NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory
John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM was recently selected to join the Implementation Science Work Group of the NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC). Dr. Mayer will represent the RESOLVE Trial team (Shawn Farrokhi: PI), which is one of 11 pragmatic trials currently underway via the PMC.
The PMC’s goal “is to develop the capacity to implement cost-effective large-scale pragmatic clinical research in military and veteran health care delivery organizations focusing on non-pharmacological approaches to pain management and other comorbid conditions.”
The Implementation Science Work Group will assess implementation barriers and facilitators according the goals of the PMC, which will inform PMC trials currently underway and help guide future implementation strategies across military and veterans’ settings.
December 17, 2018, San Diego CA: $1.2M FEMA grant awarded to combat firefighter musculoskeletal injuries, sleep disorders, and obesity
A $1.2M grant was recently awarded to implement a regional wellness program focused on combating firefighter musculoskeletal injuries, obesity, and sleep disorders. The project is funded through a FY2017 Fire Prevention & Safety grant, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, and is one in a series of awards made to Dr. John Mayer for related firefighter research efforts. Most recently, Mayer and Lane completed a FEMA funded study titled, “Worksite exercise interventions for low back injury prevention in firefighters,” which demonstrated the effectiveness of a worksite exercise intervention relative to control on reducing lost work time related to low back injury and illness in firefighters.
Firefighting is a dangerous, physically-demanding, and psychologically-stressful occupation. Thus, firefighters are at high risk for developing low back injury and related musculoskeletal disorders, obesity, and sleep disorders. While researchers have made great strides to advance understanding of these disorders, specific guidance on implementing effective wellness and fitness programs to prevent injuries and improve health is largely unavailable. The new grant is expected to address this knowledge translation gap, resulting in improved firefighter health.
“The current grant is the latest project in our 15-year initiative to develop, test, and implement programs to improve first responder safety and health. We thank FEMA for its commitment to support our efforts, and the firefighters who risk their lives to protect us,” said John M. Mayer, DC, PhD, FACSM – Project Leader for this grant and Scientific Officer for the Foundation.
“This grant will enable us to test novel interventions, using a regional approach, to determine whether this format can be a success for wellness and fitness in the fire service. We are elated about this project and grateful to FEMA for the opportunity to implement our approaches,” said Charity L. Lane, MS, MA, CPT, FNS – Project Leader for this grant and Director of Program Development for the Foundation.
About the Grant
The new grant (EMW-2017-FP-00711; US Spine & Sport Foundation) will implement a regional wellness program for approximately 1,000 firefighters from diverse departments in San Diego County, California targeting 3 critical issues that impact firefighter safety and health: low back injury and related musculoskeletal disorders, obesity, and sleep disorders. Interventions include physical fitness, nutrition, and behavioral education programs customized to the needs of each firefighter and department. The interventions are evidence-based and pragmatic, and will be delivered through innovative health service delivery systems over 18 months. The project will serve as a model to inform future national implementation of firefighter wellness and fitness programs.
For more information on our first responder initiatives, see: www.usspineandsportfoundation.com.