Early physiotherapy for lower back pain has extremely positive outcomes says new study

After an initial episode of acute, nonspecific low back pain, early physiotherapy that adheres to guidelines results in substantially lower costs and reduced use of health care resources over a two-year period, experts report in BMC Health Services Research.
A US research team analysed 122,723 people who sought help after an initial lower back pain episode and received physiotherapy within 90 days. Of these, 24% received early physiotherapy (within 14 days) that adhered to guidelines for active treatment. During a two-year time period, these people made significantly less use of advanced imaging, lumbar spinal injections, lumbar spine surgery and opioids than did people in other combinations of timing and adherence.
Early physiotherapy patients also had 60% less lower back pain-related costs as compared to 33.5% of people who had delayed and adherent physiotherapy (between 14 and 90 days).
“Physical therapy as the starting point of care in your low back pain episode can have significant positive implications,” Dr John Childs, lead author, explained. “Receiving physical therapy treatment that adheres to practice guidelines even furthers than benefit.”

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Image credit: Alan Cleaver