PT First for Low Back Pain

Why this resource is helpful:

"It seems as though everyone is dealing with back pain these days! Well, that"s almost true low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide, with both prevalence and disability rates continuing to rise. Up to 84% of people will have LBP at some point in their lives. The good news is, the prognosis for acute LBP is quite good, with 72-90% of individuals achieving complete recovery within a year, and about 40% feeling pain-free within 6 weeks.
Physical therapy plays a major role in being able to achieve these favorable prognoses. Physical therapists (PTs) know more about movement (and abnormal or dysfunctional movement) than any other healthcare providers. We can identify what physiological factors and movement patterns contributed to pain or injury in the first place and prevent it from happening again. PTs are also familiar with how psychosocial factors, such as socioeconomic status, work environment, past experiences, anxiety, depression, fear, and stress affect someone"s pain to provide a holistic treatment plan.
For this reason, PTs should be first-line providers for musculoskeletal problems like LBP.
Multiple studies have shown that individuals who seek out PT first for acute LBP, rather than later or never, are 89.4% less likely to be prescribed opioids, 27.9% less likely to receive advanced imaging services (X-ray, MRI, etc.), and 14.7% less likely to visit the Emergency Department.
In the end, early PT visits decrease the unnecessary use of healthcare resources and reduce the financial burden of LBP on the patient. Additionally, long-term outcomes of PT and more invasive care (e.g. surgery) are similar, and one study showed no significant difference in pain outcomes at a 2-year follow-up."

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