This week's issue features work from Alison Rushton and David Walton outlining a review of tools for mapping musculoskeletal pain and identifying physical measures that may forecast outcomes for individuals with neck and thoracic pain. Research from David Walton also looks at the reported rates of military sexual trauma for women and men in the Canadian military and its connection to chronic pain and emotional distress. Finally, Pulak Parikh presents the management strategies and recovery needs voiced by firefighters who have experienced work-related shoulder disorders.

The relationships between gender, military sexual trauma, chronic pain, and mental health symptoms in Canadian military personnel and veterans are being examined. To investigate this, researchers administered confidential surveys to 328 men and women with chronic pain, asking about their demographics, pain, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and experiences with military sexual trauma.

To improve how people with musculoskeletal conditions communicate their pain, it is necessary to understand the variety of existing pain map tools. Researchers are conducting a review of scientific and other literature to classify these maps based on their design features and methods of use.

Chronic neck and thoracic pain limits physical functioning for many people, but it is unclear which physical tests can predict their recovery. To address this gap, researchers systematically searched scientific databases and other literature to identify and evaluate all existing studies on the topic.

Firefighters are prone to work-related shoulder disorders due to the physical demands of their profession. To understand this issue, researchers interviewed 14 male and female firefighters about the management strategies they employed and their needs for occupational health and recovery.