Physical Therapist Assessed Initial Lower Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Physical Therapy
• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Low back pain (LBP) management often involves delayed physical therapy referrals.
• Traditional LBP care pathways include primary care evaluation, imaging, and medication.
• An integrated, early physical therapy approach may improve patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of traditional versus early physical therapy pathways for first-onset LBP.
• To evaluate resource utilization and patient adherence in two LBP treatment models.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of electronic health records for patients with first-onset LBP.
• Comparison of patients receiving care via traditional primary care referral versus integrated physical therapy.
• Analysis of imaging, specialist referrals, pain medication use, and follow-up adherence.

Main Results:

• Patients in the early physical therapy pathway required fewer imaging studies and specialist referrals.
• The early pathway group used fewer pain medications and had fewer follow-up appointment no-shows.
• Integrated physical therapy demonstrated greater efficiency and adherence.

Conclusions:

• Early integration of physical therapy into primary care for LBP is associated with reduced healthcare utilization.
• This model improves patient adherence and potentially lowers overall treatment costs.
• Implementing early physical therapy pathways can optimize LBP management.