Physiotherapy management of low back pain - a review of surveys

Abstract

Low back pain (LBP) is an increasingly debilitating and costly problem. One of the research focuses in LBP is an attempt to improve patient outcomes. It is believed that the promotion of evidence based practice (EBP) should improve patient outcomes and also reduce the cost of care. There seems to be a need to establish how physiotherapists manage LBP and whether management is in accordance with best practice based on published research evidence. The aim of this study was to determine what management strategies physiotherapists employ in the management of LBP by performing a review of the literature and to compare this with recent guidelines Fourteen studies were included for the review. The treatments most frequently reported as being used for the management of LBP were education/ advice, exercise, spinal mobilisation and electrotherapy. Over a 14 year period there were no major changes in the way physiotherapists manage LBP. Physiotherapist use interventions that are evidence based as well as interventions with little evidence in the management of LBP.

Keywords

• low back pain
• physiotherapy
• survey
• interventions
• evidence based practice