Aidan Cashin
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Doctoral Candidate
+61 2 9399 1806
Aidan Cashin is a Doctoral Candidate at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA). A member of the pain research group headed by Dr James McAuley, his research deals with investigating the mechanisms of treatments for chronic low back pain. He is also interested in increasing the openness and transparency of research and is involved in developing a reporting guideline for mechanisms evaluation studies.
Prior to commencing research, Aidan pursued a successful clinical career as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, practising primarily in the field of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Aidan also has a casual academic position at the University of New South Wales, within the School of Medical Sciences and is involved in the teaching and evaluating of undergraduate exercise physiology students.
Projects Aidan Cashin is currently involved with
CURRENT PROJECTS
AGReMA Project
Developing a Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses (AGReMA) in randomized trials and observational studies.
Investigating causal mechanisms using mediation analysis is becoming increasingly common in psychology, public health, and social science. Despite increasing popularity, the accuracy and completeness when reporting mediation analyses are inconsistent. Inadequate and inaccurate reporting of research stifles replication, limits assessment of potential bias, complicates meta-analyses, and wastes resources. There is a pressing need to develop a reporting standard for mediation analyses. Up to now, there have been no registered initiatives on the “Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency of health Research” (EQUATOR) network that guide the reporting of mediation analyses. Our proposed project aims to improve the reporting quality of future mediation analyses by developing a reporting guideline through a program of established methodologies (Systematic Review, Delphi Survey, Consensus Meetings, and Guideline Dissemination). The development and implementation of this guideline will improve the transparency of research findings on causal mechanisms across multiple disciplines.
READ MORE
AGReMA Project
EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: CASE STUDY – EXERCISE AND SPORT SCIENCE AUSTRALIA (ESSA)
EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN: A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH – THE NEURA BLOG
RESEARCH TEAM
THIAGO FOLLY Research Assistant
ANIKA HAIGH Research Assistant
PAULINE ZAHARA Research Assistant
IAN SKINNER
Postdoctoral Fellow
: 9399 1049
: i.skinner@neura.edu.au
ADRIAN TRAEGER PhD Candidate
HOPIN LEE PhD Candidate
DR MARKUS HUEBSCHER Postdoctoral Fellow
PUBLICATIONS
Reassurance for patients with non-specific conditions - a user's guide.
Traeger AC, O'Hagan ET, Cashin A, McAuley JH
Targeted reassurance, including enhanced, prognosis-specific education, could optimize reassurance and possibly prevent disabling symptoms.
Reassurance for patients with non-specific conditions - a user's guide.
Traeger AC, O'Hagan ET, Cashin A, McAuley JH
Targeted reassurance, including enhanced, prognosis-specific education, could optimize reassurance and possibly prevent disabling symptoms.
Exercise for chronic musculoskeletal pain: A biopsychosocial approach.
Booth J, Moseley GL, Schiltenwolf M, Cashin A, Davies M, Hübscher M
Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) refers to ongoing pain felt in the bones, joints and tissues of the body that persists longer than 3 months. For these conditions, it is widely accepted that secondary pathologies or the consequences of persistent pain, including fear of movement, pain catastrophizing, anxiety and nervous system sensitization appear to be the main contributors to pain and disability. While exercise is a primary treatment modality for CMP, the intent is often to improve physical function with less attention to secondary pathologies. Exercise interventions for CMP which address secondary pathologies align with contemporary pain rehabilitation practices and have greater potential to improve patient outcomes above exercise alone. Biopsychosocial treatment which acknowledges and addresses the biological, psychological and social contributions to pain and disability is currently seen as the most efficacious approach to chronic pain. This clinical update discusses key aspects of a biopsychosocial approach concerning exercise prescription for CMP and considers both patient needs and clinician competencies. There is consensus for individualized, supervised exercise based on patient presentation, goals and preference that is perceived as safe and non-threatening to avoid fostering unhelpful associations between physical activity and pain. The weight of evidence supporting exercise for CMP has been provided by aerobic and resistance exercise studies, although there is considerable uncertainty on how to best apply the findings to exercise prescription. In this clinical update, we also provide evidence-based guidance on exercise prescription for CMP through a synthesis of published work within the field of exercise and CMP rehabilitation.