Journal CME, November 2023: Effect of physical therapy timing on patient-reported outcomes for individuals with acute low back pain: A systematic review with meta analysis of randomized controlled trials-Journal CME, November 2023: Effect of physical therapy timing on patient-reported outcomes for individuals with acute low back pain: A systematic review with meta analysis of randomized controlled trials

Journal CME, November 2023: Effect of physical therapy timing on patient-reported outcomes for individuals with acute low back pain: A systematic review with meta analysis of randomized controlled trials

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Pdf Summary

Early physical therapy (PT) for the management of acute low back pain (LBP) may lead to statistically significant reductions in short-term pain and disability, according to a systematic review with a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The review included seven studies that compared early PT to either delayed PT or non-PT care. The results indicated that early PT compared to non-PT care was associated with a small, statistically significant reduction in pain and disability up to 6 weeks following the initiation of care. However, there was no significant difference between early PT and delayed PT in terms of pain or disability outcomes in the short or long term. <br /><br />It should be noted that the definition of early PT and the specific PT interventions varied across the included studies. The number of PT visits also varied. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale, and the overall quality of the studies ranged from 4 to 8 out of 10.<br /><br />The findings of this review suggest that early PT may have a small benefit in reducing short-term pain and disability in individuals with acute LBP. However, there is no significant difference between early PT and delayed PT in terms of long-term outcomes. Further research is needed to better understand the optimal timing and types of interventions for individuals with acute LBP.

Keywords

early physical therapy

acute low back pain

pain management

disability reduction

systematic review

meta-analysis

randomized controlled trials

short-term outcomes

long-term outcomes

Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale