Dr David W. Evans PhD, BSc(Hons) Ost

Dr David W. Evans

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Assistant Professor in Musculoskeletal Health Care

Contact details

Address
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr David Evans is an expert in musculoskeletal pain and joined the University of Birmingham as a member of staff in 2017. His research interests are broad but are centred around better understanding and measuring disabling pain, with a view to matching the right treatment to the right patients at the right time. He is currently acting as Programme Lead for the University of Birmingham MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration) programme.

Research profiles:

Qualifications

  • 2007 - PhD (low back pain), Keele University
  • 1998 - BSc (Honours) in Osteopathy, University College of 

Biography

Dr David Evans received his BSc (Honours) in Osteopathy from Health Sciences University (formerly the British School of Osteopathy), London in 1998, and has maintained a musculoskeletal clinical workload since that time. Soon after completing his PhD at the School of Health and Rehabilitation, Keele University in 2007, he joined Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, and has since worked on multiple pain-related research projects, including large clinical trials. He has gained over £2 million in research funding as lead applicant or co-applicant, has won several prizes for research he has led, and has published over 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Teaching

David teaches about the musculoskeletal system, pain, and physical interventions on the following University of Birmingham programmes:

  • MSci Physiotherapy
  • MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration)
  • MSc Advanced Manipulative Physiotherapy

Research

Dr David Evans’s research principally focuses on:

  • Management of pain, particularly low back pain
  • Measurement of pain and disability
  • Causation and mechanisms underlying pain and its persistence
  • Mechanisms of action of pain interventions
  • Matching interventions to patients in pain
  • Pain responses to somatosensory stimuli
  • Mechanisms of action underlying physical analgesic interventions

Other activities

Since 2001: Member of the Society for Back Pain Research

Since 2021: Lead a pain-focused PPIE Group

Since 2022: University of Birmingham REDCap Committee

Coaches javelin throwing at a local athletics club

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Evans, DW 2024, 'Development and initial testing of a brief, generic self-reported disability questionnaire: The Universal Disability Index', PLOS One, vol. 19, no. 5, e0303102. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303102

Evans, DW, Wong, ITY, Leung, HK, Yang, H & Liew, BXW 2024, 'Quantifying lumbar mobility using a single tri-axial accelerometer', Heliyon, vol. 10, no. 11, e32544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32544

Liew, BXW, Crisafulli, O & Evans, DW 2024, 'Quantifying lumbar sagittal plane kinematics using a wrist-worn inertial measurement unit', Frontiers in sports and active living, vol. 6, 1381020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1381020

Evans, DW, Mear, E, Neal, B, Waterworth, S & Liew, BXW 2024, 'Words matter: effects of instructional cues on pressure pain threshold values in healthy people', Musculoskeletal Science and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2024.103150

Barbero, M, Piff, M, Evans, D & Falla, D 2023, 'Do metrics derived from self-reported and clinician-reported pain drawings agree for individuals with chronic low back pain?', Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, vol. 68, 102871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2023.102871

Tissot, L-PM, Evans, DW, Kirby, E & Liew, BXW 2023, 'Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia may underestimate task-specific fear of movement in people with and without low back pain', PAIN Reports, vol. 8, no. 4, e1081. https://doi.org/10.1097/PR9.0000000000001081

Evans, DW, Rushton, A, Middlebrook, N, Bishop, J, Barbero, M, Patel, J & Falla, D 2022, 'Estimating risk of chronic pain and disability following musculoskeletal trauma in the United Kingdom', JAMA network open, vol. 5, no. 8, e2228870, pp. E2228870. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.28870

Jadhakhan, F, Lambert, N, Middlebrook, N, Evans, DW & Falla, D 2022, 'Is exercise/physical activity effective at reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in adults — A systematic review', Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, 943479. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.943479

Syrett, J, Evans, DW & Liew, BXW 2022, 'More Load, Less Harm? Perceived Harmfulness of Daily Activities and Low Back Pain Beliefs in Weightlifters and Powerlifters', Applied Sciences, vol. 13, no. 1, 220. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010220

Liew, B, Lee, HY, Rügamer, D, De Nunzio, AM, Heneghan, NR, Falla, D & Evans, DW 2021, 'A novel metric of reliability in pressure pain threshold measurement', Scientific Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, 6944. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86344-6

Middlebrook, N, Heneghan, N, Evans, D, Rushton, A & Falla, D 2020, 'Reliability of temporal summation, thermal and pressure pain thresholds in a healthy cohort and musculoskeletal trauma population', PLoSONE, vol. 15, no. 5, e0233521. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233521

Review article

Kerry, R, Young, KJ, Evans, DW, Lee, E, Georgopoulos, V, Meakins, A, McCarthy, C, Cook, C, Ridehalgh, C, Vogel, S, Banton, A, Bergström, C, Mazzieri, AM, Mourad, F & Hutting, N 2024, 'A modern way to teach and practice manual therapy', Chiropractic & manual therapies, vol. 32, no. 1, 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-024-00537-0

Young, KJ, Leboeuf-Yde, C, Gorrell, L, Bergström, C, Evans, DW, Axén, I, Chance-Larsen, K, Gagey, O, Georgopoulos, V, Goncalves, G, Harris, C, Harsted, S, Kerry, R, Lee, E, McCarthy, C, Nim, C, Nyirö, L, Schweinhardt, P & Vogel, S 2024, 'Mechanisms of manipulation: a systematic review of the literature on immediate anatomical structural or positional changes in response to manually delivered high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation', Chiropractic & manual therapies, vol. 32, no. 1, 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-024-00549-w

Evans, DW & Lucas, N 2023, 'What is manipulation? A new definition', BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, vol. 24, no. 1, 194. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-023-06298-w

Evans, DW 2022, 'Why is the prevailing model of joint manipulation (still) incorrect?', Chiropractic & manual therapies, vol. 30, no. 1, 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-022-00460-2

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