Pain-Free Living

The Effects of Physical Therapy on Lower Back Pain

A new study out of the University of Utah says that while physical therapy may help alleviate lower back pain in the short term, it has little effect over a long period of time.

The researchers studied 220 adults with lower back pain, randomly assigning them to either physical therapy or “usual care,” meaning education and instruction for physical activity. In the first three months, the patients receiving physical therapy for lower back pain showed improvement; however, after a year of treatment, no significant progress was found compared to the group receiving usual care.

The results of the trial, published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, indicate that while getting early physical therapy for lower back pain can be beneficial, the condition will likely also improve if patients simply let it run its course.

Read more about the study here.

 

 

 

Last Reviewed October 15, 2015

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